A Potter Reincarnation
by M1sch1ef-Manag3d
Summary: Lila was happy, she was normal, until she got hit by a car and reincarnated as a twin to James Potter; Mika Potter. She swears to herself that she will keep her brother alive until he dies of old age. Now, she has to go through Hogwarts, Planning pranks, playing with werewolves, trying to keep everyone alive and trying not to fall for her brothers best friend. How hard can it be?
1. The Beginning

**I started this fan fiction a couple of months ago but wasn't happy with it so I have decided to rewrite it. I have probably chosen quite a bad time to start rewriting a story since I currently have quite a busy schedule which means I won't be able to update that often however I promise not to abandon this story, even though it might take quite a while to finish. I hope you enjoy it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

 _Thoughts are in italics_

 _ **Prologue:**_

Lila knew she was popular, she always had been, her parents said it hadn't been much of a surprise for them; she was smart, pretty, kind and easy to get along with in general. Her grades were always near the top and her makeup was never smudged. She was the stereotypical popular girl, and she hated it. She couldn't read a book without everyone judging her and telling her that it didn't fit with her 'image'. She couldn't play pranks in fear of her friends rejecting her. Lila didn't like to think that she craved people to like her however she knew she did. She looked in her mirror, her long blond hair swaying slightly in the breeze and a slight sparkle of tears in her deep blue eyes. She was surrounded by people but loneliness often crept in.

"Lila, are you almost ready to go?" Kasey shouted. Kasey had been Lila's best 'friend' for almost three years. Lila found her company pleasant enough however the conversation always quickly turned to fashion or boys. With a small smile to herself in the mirror, Lila blinked away the tears and exited her overly large bedroom.

"Of course I'm ready to go," She replied as she glided down the stairs, "If I'm late again I will have to face Mrs Gill's wrath." Both teens shuddered at the idea of the ancient woman's anger directed at them.

"I love your top," Kasey declared as they exited the house, "And I'm sure Luke will love it too." Lila sighed as Kasey winked at her; Kasey had been trying to set her up with Luke for ages and didn't get the message that she just wasn't interested. Luke was the most popular boy in their school and everyone kept saying how perfect they would be together. _Maybe if I tell her I'm gay she'll leave me alone._ Lila mused as she stepped out into the road. She never saw the car, heading straight for her. She never found out if Luke did love her top as Kasey so confidently stated only seconds before. All Lila knew was pain and darkness. And Lila Gallot, as the world knew her, was dead.

 _ **Chapter 1:**_

Lila slowly pried open her eyes only to be assaulted by a bright light. With a small cry she closed them again and attempted to bury herself into whatever she was lying on. _Where am I?_ That question was only one of the many that was running through her mind. After a couple of what Lila would later swear to be the hardest minutes of her life, she managed to force herself to open her eyes again to the light that was all consuming. As she blinked her eyes a few times, trying to adjust to the unfamiliar surroundings, she spotted a man peering down on her. _Who is he?_ Was the question that Lila wanted to know? He seemed huge in comparison to her but had a gentle smile on his lips. His hair was a messy black mop with specks of grey in that stuck up in every direction and would seem to take offence to a comb coming within five feet of it. His eyes were a light hazel with crinkles surrounding them from a life time of smiles. He had high, prominent cheek bones and a slightly pointed nose. Perched upon said nose was a pair of rectangular glasses that looked worn from repeated use.

"Hello," The man spoke. His voice was lowered to a gentle tone and he looked upon Lila as though she was the most precious thing in the world. "Welcome to the world, Mika." The man near whispered. There were tears shining in his eyes, refusing to fall. Lila had never been more confused in her life; he was speaking to her as though she was a baby but she wasn't a baby, was she? Just as she thought that, the kind looking man reached down and carefully picked her up and cradled her to him.

"I'm Charles, your father." He murmured. Lila tried to tell him that there must be some kind of mistake, she had a dad, and he most certainly wasn't him. Sadly, all that came out was a gurgle, which prompted Charles to chuckle happily.

"You're going to be so smart when you grow up," He stated, ecstasy written on his face, "And beautiful, I'm going to have to beat the boys back with broomsticks." He laughed to himself once more before looking over to someone.

"Do you want to hold your daughter Dorea?" Lila assumed that the question was asked to her 'mother' and decided to gurgle happily at the idea, I mean, she might as well find out as much as she could. Lila soon found herself looking up at a stunning woman who she deduced was Dorea. Her midnight black hair was pulled up into a fancy bun, which Lila could never hope to achieve, with some curls that had escaped framing her face. Much like her husband she had some grey streaks in her hair which somehow only added to her elegance. Her eyes were a mix of dark green and grey, with dark lashes that only enhanced her eyes. Crinkles were visible at the corner of her eyes from smiling, much like her husband. She also had prominent cheek bones and a small, straight nose. Her red tinted lips were pulled into a happy smile and she reminded Lila of a princess.

"Hello Mika," The woman spoke, her voice filled with joy. "I'm your mom now." And for the first time in ages, Lila didn't have the overwhelming feeling of expectations on her shoulders, and she felt at peace.

1 year later

It had been a year since Mika had been reborn and many things had happened. Firstly, she had started to refer to herself as Mika instead of Lila. She reasoned that if you hear the same name every day then you might as well start using it. Secondly, she found that she wasn't the only baby born on that day a year ago, and she had an older twin brother called James. James was adorable she decided almost immediately and she instantly decided to protect him at all costs. The last thing she learnt, was that the family she was living with were called the 'Potters' and that magic was very real! She didn't notice much difference at first, but then she saw the floating cups and the wave of a wand to change her nappy (she really needed to get potty trained) and realized that magic was real. That was the first time that she cried. From joy or despair she still didn't know but it didn't matter much she decided. Currently, she was sitting in her brother's crib watching him attempt to eat his own foot. _He's actually doing quite well,_ she noted with a raised eyebrow. He was quite advanced for a baby; she had realized a couple of months ago. He said his first word at 6 months and had almost mastered walking. It made Mika feel a bit guilty about being able to already do these things but, she was older internally. An annoying thing that Mika had soon found out in this new body was that her emotions were of a baby. She still had all of her old memories however they felt dimmed, distant, and she felt more childlike than ever. Mika also found that she could now remember everything from her birth with startling clarity. She remembered from her old life that people called it an eidetic memory and she seemed to have gotten one. Not that she was complaining, it was so much easier this way. Mika was startled out of her musing by her parents bursting into the room.

"Happy birthday darlings." They cried in unison, they then proceeded to pick up a twin each and carry them downstairs. When they reached the living room the old couple placed the twins next to a large pile of presents. Mika carefully grabbed one of the presents in pink, assuming that it was for her whereas her brother just grabbed a present at random and stuck it in his mouth. _Wow, he really does have an obsession with putting things in his mouth_ Mika decided with a small giggle. She could get used to this.

4 years later

"Give it back!" Mika cried as she chased her older brother around the manor. He had taken their shared broom even though he knew it was her turn!

"You will have to be faster than that." Her infuriating sibling shouted over his shoulder, giggles penetrating his words. _Why does he have to be so fast?_ Mika asked herself as he ran up another flight of artistically decorated stairs with Mika puffing behind him. Suddenly, her eyes gained a glint of mischief as she collapsed on the bottom stair as dramatically as possible;

"Ow!" Mika cried out. _Works like a charm_ , she thought, fighting to keep the grin of her face as James spun around at the sound and hurdled back down the stairs.

"Mi, are you ok?" All signs of playfulness had slid of his face at the idea of his younger sister being hurt. As he reached her side, Mika jumped up and grabbed the broom before running off in the other direction. As soon as James figured out what had happened, he sprinted after her with a large grin on his young face. Mika knew that the plan wasn't very well thought out and he would catch up to her in bare minutes, but who could blame her? She was only five after all.

2 years later

Mika was sat on the sofa next to her brother. Her parents were sitting opposite them looking the almost exactly the same as when she was born, only a few more wrinkles scattered on their faces and more grey streaks in their hair. Today they were all dressed up in their formal robes, having taken the twins to their first social ball with all of the other ancient and noble families. Dorea had a beautiful off shoulder, floor length gown with black floral patterns decorating the slytherin green silk. Her hair was in an impressive bun that wouldn't look out of place on royalty. She had a delicate silver necklace with matching earrings and a bracelet and overall she looked exactly as a Lady of a house should. Her husband also looked very handsome, in a black suit with silver accents and a tie the same green as his beloved wife. He had also managed to somehow make his hair look slightly less messy than usual. Mika's twin looked extremely like his father in that moment; their suits had the same colours and his hair was in the same slightly less messy state. The main difference was the Gryffindor red tie that was proudly displayed on his chest (after he had argued that he wasn't wearing green for over an hour). Mika also admitted to herself that she looked just as stunning as the rest of her family. She was wearing a silver halter strap dress that slowly faded into slytherin green at the bottom to match her mother. Her dark black hair had somehow been pulled back into a bun, even though she had clearly inherited the same messy mop that her father and brother have; only hers was waist length. That was the main feature that she had inherited from her dad; the untameable hair. She had gotten the rest of her looks from her mom. She had obtained the same high cheek bones as well as the petite nose. Her lips were the same shape and she had inherited the same green, gray eyes that her mother had. If it weren't for Mika's hair, they would be practically identical; much like Charles and James who shared all of the same features. Overall, they looked like the perfect family in Mika's mind.

"Kids," Charles stared, a worried frown present on his face, "Your mom has been thinking-" Dorea then interrupted with a small cough and a glare in his direction to which he hastily amended his statement; "I mean, your mom and I have been thinking that… um…"

"What your father is trying to get across," The twins mother said with a disapproving glare in his direction, "Is that now that your seven, maybe it's time to have your own rooms?" Although she posed it as a question, Mika could tell that it wasn't meant as one. She had been watching over the past few years as her mom grew more and more disapproving of their sleeping arrangements. Ever since her and her twin had been born, they had always shared a bed, and by result of that, a room. Now, Mika could see that her mom no longer wanted that tradition to happen and Mika wasn't going down without a fight.

It was several hours since Mika's mom had made that statement, soon after revealing that she had already prepared an extra room for one of them to sleep in. It had taken two hours and a ripped dress before Mika was tucked tightly into her new bed, and she hated it. Mika had laid in wait for the past three hours, pretending to be asleep, until she finally heard her mom shut the master bedrooms door. After waiting a following five minutes, she crept out of the unfamiliar room, and into the room she belonged in, where she stayed until her mom found them there the next morning and the arguments started.

4 years later

Mika woke up to the sound of an alarm going off. After much useless swatting in the direction of the offending clock, she finally managed to reach it; sadly, she had reached too far and went tumbling off her bed, the clock following her down. **Thwack!** The infuriating alarm clock had landed on her head as they both fell to the floor. With a grimace, she gingerly stood up, trying and failing to be quiet. She spared a glance at her brother who was still sleeping peacefully in bed and grinned. Creeping to the door, cartoon style, she just reached the door handle when that bloody alarm clock went off again. She leapt across the room, with the gracefulness of a pig on roller-skates and grabbed the clock before chucking it out the window.

"Take that asshole." She whispered before creeping back to the door. Her brother had, amazingly, slept through all of that. _I'm happy that he didn't wake up_ Mika thought as she grabbed a bucket and skipped towards the bathroom _all my planning would have been for nothing._ Mika had had a 'genius' (in her mind) idea on how to wake her beloved twin up on their birthday. After she had filled the bucket up with water she tip-toed back to their shared room. She then stood at the end of their bed watching her brother sleep peacefully. _He looks so young and sweet when he's asleep_ Mika though with a sentimental smile. That smile soon turned into an evil grin as she tipped the whole bucket of freezing cold water on top of her unsuspecting twin. As he woke up with an extremely girly scream, Mika grabbed the other bucket she had prepared the day before and showered the eleven year old boy in pink glitter. With the shocked and betrayed look marring her brothers face forever seared into Mika's brain, she took off running, laughter trailing behind her. Only seconds later she heard the heavy footfalls of her angry brother behind her and Mika, still laughing her head off, jumped onto their banister and attempted to slide away from the danger. Sadly, the water still covering the boy helped Mika's potential attacker to go faster on the banister as he too slid down. They fell to the floor with a bang and a laugh (from Mika). Unluckily for Mika, a very annoyed James landed on top of her, drenching her pyjamas and looking threateningly at her.

"Hey Jamie…" Mika started a guilty smile on her face. He let out a low growl before tickling every inch of her that he could reach. Shrieking with laughter, Mika unsuccessfully tried to push him off.

"Stop, Stop, I apologise." Mika cried out between giggles. Jamie looked at her in consideration and loosened his grip slightly. Mika took this as a chance to wriggle out from underneath him and run towards the kitchen.

"Oi," her brother shouted as he lunged for her again. She darted out of his reached and ran into the kitchen. She immediately spotted her father and gave him the most innocent smile she could muster.

"Happy birthday Cookie," Charles directed to his daughter with a laugh at her smile. Charles had called her cookie since she was four and had her first moment of accidental magic; summoning all the cookies in a ten mile radius to her when refused a cookie by her mom. Her dad gave her a brief hug and at that moment her brother ran into the room, slipped on the tiles with his still wet feet and, with pink glitter decorating his whole body, his arms wind milling and a mouth open in shock and terror, slid right into their mother who had just walked in through the other door. As they fell to the floor, one of them attempted to grab the table in the hope of steading themselves however they only managed to grab the tablecloth; pulling all the food down on top of them. The whole kitchen was quite for about ten seconds before Mika and her dad burst into uncontrollable laughter. Tears leaked from the corner of Mika's eyes as she clung to her dad who was stopping her from falling to the floor in hysterics. As Dorea started shouting at James for doing something dangerous, Mika and Charles burst into another fit of uncontrollable laughter. This was a good start to her birthday Mika decided.

An hour or so later, after everyone had gotten dressed and showered (though Jamie still had glitter covering most of his body thanks to a stolen wand and a sticking charm courtesy of Mika) the family was sitting in the living room and the twins had just opened their birthday presents. Mika had gotten the newest broom: the Nimbus 1001 (as did her twin) as well as new clothes, some books and jewellery. Jamie had given her an empty photo album and a camera which she loved and promised to use. She in return gave him chaser gloves, a quaffle and a snitch and explained that he could see if he preferred the idea of being a seeker. Both twins had been extremely keen on the idea of being chasers together in Gryffindor on the Quidditch team and where heartbroken when they learnt that they couldn't be on the team until second year. When both twins had finished thanking their parents, Jamie suddenly spoke up:

"Are those owls?" He was pointing out the window at two distinct shapes getting closer to the window. Mika hurriedly opened the window, trembling in excitement. _I'm finally getting my Hogwarts letter. It's finally happening._ Two important looking Tawny Owls flapped in and landed, one on each twins arm. With nervous hands, Mika untied he letter from the impatient bird that immediately flew off. After taking a deep breath Mika pried open the envelope. _This is it…_

 **HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

 **Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore**

 **(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,**

 **Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**

 **Dear Ms. Potter,**

 **We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.**

 **Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.**

 **Yours sincerely,**

 **Minerva McGonagall**

 **Deputy Headmistress**

Mika felt all of her breath leave her. It had finally happened. She was defiantly a witch. It wasn't like Mika didn't know that she was magical already; the letter just made it seem so much more real. She saw Jamie jump and pump his fist in the air. Mika thought about copying his action however the eagerness to read the rest of her letter was too much. She enthusiastically opened the second piece of parchment and absorbed what it said.

 **HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

 **UNIFORM**

 **First-year students will require:**

 **1\. Three sets of plain work robes (black)**

 **2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear**

 **3\. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)**

 **4\. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)**

 **Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags.**

 **COURSE BOOKS**

 **All students should have a copy of each of the following:**

 **The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)**

 **By Miranda Goshawk**

 **A History of Magic**

 **By Bathilda Bagshot**

 **Magical Theory**

 **By Adalbert Waffling**

 **A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration**

 **By Emeric Switch**

 **One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi**

 **By Phyllida Spore**

 **Magical Drafts and Potions**

 **By Arsenius Jigger**

 **Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them**

 **By Newt Scamander**

 **The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection**

 **By Quentin Trimble**

 **OTHER EQUIPMENT**

 **1 wand**

 **1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)**

 **1 set glass or crystal phials**

 **1 telescope**

 **1 set brass scales**

 **Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.**

 **PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS**

 **ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK**

 **Yours sincerely,**

 **Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus**

 **Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions**

"I guess this means we're going to have to take a trip to Diagon Alley then." Dorea said. Mika looked up at her parents with joy in her eyes when she noticed that her mom has the exact opposite.

"Why are you crying?" Mika asked, arms surrounding the elderly women in an instant, Jamie even looked up from his victory dance which, Mika thought, was quite ridiculous. Charles gave a gentle smile to his youngest; she always did put others before herself.

"She's ok, your mom's just upset that you're growing up, that's all." Charles answered, and then proceeded to grab his son and pull them into a family hug.

"I'll never stop being your little girl." Mika said with a sad smile, she really hoped that she wasn't lying.

"Ugh." Mika complained as she stumbled out of the floo network into the leaky caldron. Even after 11 years she still hadn't learnt how to exit the floo 'like a lady'. She had only managed to prevent herself from falling over as Jamie had grabbed her before she fell.

"Ready to go?" Dorea questioned. Mika, who was sure she would be tasting soot for weeks, quickly brushed herself off before joining her twin in his excitement. He was hopping along, dragging their mom to the entrance to alley and talking a million words a minute.

"He's too excitable." Charles claimed, before grasping Mikas hand and allowing her to tug him in the same direction.

"Can we get our wands first mom, please? Please!" Jamie begged as the small family entered the alley. Mika, who was usually enchanted with the beauty of the alley, couldn't help herself but agreeing.

"Yeah, please dad, I really want to get my wand now." She begged, bringing out the puppy dog eyes that she was famous for. In her last life she had an annoying cousin that would always use puppy dog eyes to get her way. Mika was hopeless at it. Luckily for her, she had a few years to practice when she had nothing else to do (the first years of her new life). Now Mika was amazing at them and they had yet to fail her.

"Fine." Her mom relented, and led them to Ollivanders. The scent of dust and mould hit Mikas nose as she entered the old shop. The horrendous smell didn't prevent a gasp of amazement leaving her mouth. She could feel the magic humming in the air. It wrapped its way around her body and filled her senses. She swore that she could see the magic drifting gracefully through the air but before she could focus on it too much she was startled out of her thoughts.

"Dorea Potter nee Black. Ten and a quarter inches, willow and oak wood with unicorn hair." Mika spun round and caught sight of a very peculiar man. He looked to be about 100 however she couldn't be sure. He wore glasses that had magnifying glasses attached to them and a cane with engravings covering it. His clothes looked about as old as him, the style originating from years previously and his hair was a grey mess. His skin looked very pale, as though he never saw sunlight which Mika supposed could be true and his eyes were such stunning silver she swore that they were glowing. At that moment his eyes swivelled to her father:

"Charles Potter; twelve inches, dragon heartstring and birch wood."

"You're right, like always. How are things these days Ollivander?" Charles replied, a smile plastered on his face.

"Good, good." Ollivander muttered attention elsewhere. His eyes had brushed over Jamie, barely sparing him a glance but they hesitated for a moment when they reached Mika. Mika almost didn't notice it was so quick, but she did.

"Who's going first?" The man asked, shuffling around behind the till in search of something. Jamie and Mika immediately looked at each other. His eyes were pleading with her to let him go first, silently promising her a bar of Honeydukes chocolate. With a small gesture to let him know that he could go first, Mika stepped backward as Jamie confidently called out;

"I am." Ollivander nodded along and waved his hand in the direction of the young boy as he started walking to the wand shelves.

"Wand arm?" Was the question that was heard as the surprisingly nimble man rummaged through years' worth of wands.

"Right." Jamie said as a tape measure started measuring everything it could get to. Minutes of this passed and Mika was beginning to giggle as her brother was swatting at the tape measure that didn't stop moving. Finally Ollivander returned with multiple boxes in his arms. He opened up a red velvet box and carefully handed the boy a wand. His eyes were trained on the wand and observing everything that happened. As soon as James' hand touched the wand, sparks jumped out the end and set the lamp on fire. Ollivander snatched it away and handed him another one in the same fashion. The process continued for about 10 minutes with varying degrees of damage before James found the one. Ollivander was holding a deep gold box that looked sleek and elegant. He withdrew a dark brown wand with engravings on the handle, twirling their way up the wood. As soon as James held it, red and gold sparks shot out of the end, lighting up the room with colour and joy.

"Eleven inches, Mahogany, Dragon heartstring, good for transfiguration." Mika could see the magic seeping into her brothers' core, gold clashing with red before it became a constant hum of content, swirling colour.

"Wand arm Miss Potter." Came the voice of Ollivander, shocking her for a second time. His eyes were strangely focused on her, as though she was an animal for him to examine.

"My right arm." She answered her voice much more confident than she felt. With a nod he disappeared off into his shelves and his tape measure jumped into action. Mika could hear her brother bragging about his new wand to their parents but Mika was too distracted to care. She was wondering what the tape measure was for. _Mr Ollivander doesn't check any readings, maybe it prints out a report round the back. He could have used some form of variation on a mind spell to connect it to his brain. Maybe it's just for intimidation purposes,_ Mika decided. Ollivander hobbled back towards her and Mika was glad that she wasn't caught off guard again. His frail arms held a mountain of boxes, varying from pink to green. As soon as his arms were free, he started handing her wands. To begin with the damage was minimal, but as the pile of discarded wands pile grew higher, her fear also grew, fuelling bigger destruction. After 23 failed attempts, he handed her a wand that she was familiar with.

"Holly and Phoenix feather, 11 inches." This was the first wand he told her the properties of before handing it to her, and she knew why. It was the brother wand to a man, a man who was slowly gaining followers and fear at this very moment; Tom Riddle. With shaky hands, Mika grasped the handle, pleading with the gods that this was not her wand. Her mother's coat lit on fire. Breathing a sigh of relief, Mika quickly placed the wand back on the counter and Ollivander snatched it away with slight disappointment. After many, many more failed attempts, Ollivander plucked a new box of his shelves. It was a deep purple box with silver patterns decorating the silky texture. Inside was the most beautiful wand that Mika had ever seen. It had a simple black colour however if you looked at it from the right angle I would release a purple glow. Flowers and animals were engraved on the handle, much like her twins, and there was a small snake that looked like it was slithering up the handle. Mika knew it was the one before her hand even made contact with it. When she waved it she felt a piece of her slot into place. Like a limb that she never knew she was missing but needed it now she had it. It was like giving food to a man that had never eaten. It was – amazing! Green and red sparks flew into the air, dancing around her, brushing her skin like comforting hugs.

"Thestral hair, Cherry and Elder wood, 10 ½ inches." Ollivander said. "This wand was created by my great-grandfather, it never found an owner." The ancient man mused. "I don't use Thestral hair… too temperamental." He said, starting at her the whole time as though in a trance.

"That will be 14 Gallons please," He abruptly said, looking away from Mika as quickly as always. Dorea handed over the money before quickly shooing her children out of the creepy place.

"That place always gives me the creeps." She muttered once they had left the shop. A visible shudder went down her spine before she collected herself.

"Where do you want to go next kids?" Dorea asked, trying to take her mind of that shop.

"Can we look at the new Nimbus 1500?" James asked; a hop in his step as he crossed the alley. After two nods of agreement, the family entered the very crowded shop. Jamie immediately ran over to the newest display, Charles close behind him. Mika browsed the products for a while and Dorea had run into one of her friends to chat too. Mika was admiring a boom care kit before she suddenly remembered something. _I wanted to get a wand holder._ Mika knew that both of her parents would object to that idea, a young lady should not need such a thing. Mika privately disagreed. She scanned the shop; all three members of her overprotective family were occupied. _Good._ She ducked her head down and joined the back of a loud family that were exiting the shop. It was so busy in there that she probably had a few minutes at least. She quickly ran across the street and entered the small shop. It was yet again, unoccupied as Mr Ollivander had run off again. Mika felt a chill go down her spine; she didn't feel as brave without her family there. She was tempted to retreat however she reminded herself that she needed to get one. How would she ever get into Gryffindor if she couldn't even face a shop keeper? With a steadying breath she was about to call out for him when…

"Back again so soon Miss Potter?" He had snuck up on her for the third time in a day and Mika very nearly let out a scream.

"Was there something wrong with your wand?" He questioned, seemingly insulted at the very though.

"N-no, of course not. I was… umm… hoping for, well, you see." Mika felt her face turn a dark red. _How pathetic, I can't even form a sentence._

"Can I please have a wand holster?" She said in a rush. He ignored her failed attempts at speaking and withdrew a box with a flourish.

"What sort do you want? We have one-size, one that grows with you; we have an Auror standard one that both grows with you and only you can remove your wand. It also prevents summoning and won't be visible unless someone knows it's there." _The last one sounds like the best long-term one. It has to be the most expensive though._

"How much is the last one?" Mika asked, she really hoped that it wasn't too expensive.

"4 Gallons. It costs an extra 2 Gallons 7 sickle if you want it in Dragon hind or an extra 6 for Basilisk skin." With a grimace Mika glanced down into her money pouch. She knew how rare basilisk hind was and it probably wouldn't be in stock again for ages. It was a lot cheaper than she expected for basilisk hind though. With a sigh Mika poured her money pouch onto the dusty counter. 11 Gallons, 3 sickle. She reluctantly pushed over the correct amount and collected the rest up. She had been saving for months.

"This is the last one in stock." Ollivander said as he slid the holster over. "Use it well." Mika nodded in thanks before heading for the door in hopes to escape the creepy shop.  
"Miss Potter." Mika heard as she reached the door, "Try not to change… too much." She spun round, but he was gone. _I really hope that he was giving a creepy message and not informing me that he knows my secret._ Mika thought. _Probably just a creepy message, old men are strange like that._ With that reassurance, Mika stepped outside the musty old shop, inhaling deeply to get as much air in her lungs as possible, before colliding with a hard obstacle and falling harshly to the unforgiving floor. Mika sharply breathed in, hoping to regain her breath that had been forcefully knocked out of her. She could feel the gravel digging into her palms and knees and took a deep breath to compose herself. _I will not cry._ Mika repeated in her head, the shock forcing tears to gather in her eyes.

"Are you ok?" A small voice asked. It was full of concern and hesitance which made her look up. She almost lost her breath again. Standing in front of her, was a boy who was about her age. His hair was black, a slight wave in it that brushed his shoulders. His features were gentle but defined. His eyes were a deep gray, and Mika felt as though she was looking into his soul. His face was crafted into a look of concern; Mika still thought that he was one of the most handsome boys that she had ever seen. Ever since her untimely death, Mika wasn't certain of many things, however she could say with full confidence, that standing in front of her was an 11 year old Sirius Black.

"I'm fine." Mika said; the tears in her eyes gone without a trace. The boy offered her an arm to help her up which Mika took gratefully. Once she was on her feet, she brushed off the gravel embedded into her palm and stuck out her hand.

"I'm Mika Potter." Sirius looked at her strangely for a second, he had undoubtedly heard of how the Potters were a light family, which means he would have heard of her. _Am I not living up to his standards? Does he actually believe in all of that Pureblood crap?_ Mika had always assumed that Sirius never believed in any of the old traditions that were biased and horrid; however she was now rethinking that claim. She was just about to pull her hand back but the boy grabbed it and brushed it gently to his lips.

"Sirius Black, pleased to meet you Miss Potter." A flicker of uncertainty crossed his face, but it disappeared so quickly that if Mika wasn't searching his expression she would have missed it. He was obvious worried about how dark his family was in comparison to the Potters. Mika gave a genuine smile at the scared boy before replying.

"Pleasure to meet you Sirius Black." The blank mask that was poised on his face transformed into a grin that made Mika's own smile grow in consequence.

"Are you starting Hogwarts this year?" He asked.

"Yep." Mika replied, "I assume you're starting this year as well." Mika already knew the answer however she thought it was politer if she asked him first.

"Of course," was the confident and slightly cocky reply.

"I hope to see you on the train then." Mika said, "See you around." And with that, Mika skipped off to find her family that hopefully hadn't noticed her absence.

It was early morning the next day, and Mika hadn't slept a bit. When she had returned to the Quidditch shop, luckily, nobody had noticed her missing as they were too engrossed in what they were doing. They had then proceeded to get the rest of their school supplies, including their Hogwarts robes and textbooks. The day, as they all agreed, had been great and one of the best Birthdays that Mika had ever had. But she couldn't stop thinking about the future. Mr Ollivanders parting advice, although she had previously declared was nothing important, was weighing on her mind. As was the brewing war that so few were aware was happening. Mika had been trying to put the thoughts of future blood-shed and brutality out of her mind, but the beginning of the war was steadily marching closer. The fact that she had a wand made it all the more real. She looked over James. He looked so peaceful, so innocent. _I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you safe. I have to. You will survive this war… no matter what it takes!_ And with her mind made up, Mika fell into an uneasy sleep.


	2. Going To Hogwarts

_Thoughts are in italics_

 _ **Sorting hat is in italic bold**_

It had been a couple of months since the twins' birthday, and the day that they had been waiting for had finally appeared. It was the day that they went to Hogwarts! Mika had woken up at 6am, leaving Jamie to sleep in until the last possible moment. It was now 8:30 and in the time that Mika had been awake, she had done many things; she had packed and repacked her trunk, she had gotten dressed and completely ready to leave for the train, she had cooked breakfast (badly) and was now reading her new book on animagus'. Mika knew that Remus was starting Hogwarts this year as a werewolf. And she wanted to help him in any way possible. A couple of weeks ago, whilst searching the Potter library, Mika had come across a book describing how to become an Animagus. The first step was to hold a Mandrake leaf in her mouth for a month, which Mika knew that her parents would notice if she did at home. This meant doing it at Hogwarts and hoping that not too many people would think she was strange.

"You're up early darling, are you excited for Hogwarts?" Mika jumped a bit and put her book away, not knowing what her mom would say to her reading it.

"I'm a bit nervous actually." Mika replied, and she was. This was the first day of her future, the beginning of learning magic that would help her to save her brother. And to top it all off, it was the day where she was going to be sorted, and she didn't know what house she wanted to go to. Mika had always loved the idea of Ravenclaw, being constantly surrounded by knowledge and books, however she also wanted to go to Gryffindor, where her brother belonged and where a big part of her wanted to be. Mika didn't have any prejudice about the other houses; however she felt as though they wouldn't allow her to reach her full potential.

"It's normal to be nervous," Dorea claimed, ignorant to the internal struggle her youngest was currently having, "I was very nervous on my first day. But you have your twin, you'll be fine." Mika then felt her mother's arms wrap around her and bathed in the comfort that it held.

"You'll be fine darling." She whispered.

"Jamie, mom and dad say you need to hurry up." Mika moaned as she entered their bedroom. Her brothers belongings were covering most surfaces and defiantly not in his trunk; where they should be. Jamie himself, who had previously been throwing anything he could reach in the general direction of his trunk, spun around with a guilty look on his face, a crumpled shirt in one hand and a book in the other.

"Sorry Mika, I forgot what time it was…" Mika released an exasperated sigh, she should have expected this. After 10 minutes of Mika assisting her brother who was very good at procrastinating, she asked him a question that had been weighing on her mind for days.

"Jamie… what if I'm not in Gryffindor?" Her voice was so much smaller than usual; her brother barely caught what she said. Mika felt the bed that she was perched on dip a little as her brother sat down next to her.

"You're my twin Mika." He said, grasping her hand in his, "It doesn't matter if you not in Gryffindor, why would it?" Mika looked down at her feet; the fear of James hating her if she got sorted into Slytherin was still present. She didn't say anything but she didn't have to, after a couple of seconds her brother seemingly understood her worry and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"You couldn't get rid of me if you tried." And both of them believed that statement with all of their hearts.

The Potter's arrived at the platform by floo powder, only 10 minutes before the train departing for their first time. Mika looked around, people were everywhere! Mothers, fathers, brothers, sister, grandparents and many more. Purebloods, half-bloods and muggleborns alike, all squished onto one platform. The sound of chatter filled her ears, most voices sounded sad, as though on the verge of tears. Mika assumed that many parents would cry before the train left the station, she just hoped that her mother didn't join in. The train itself exceeded anything she had imagined. It was a beautiful, gleaming red with black linings and more carriages than Mika wished to count. Thick steam poured out of the top, announcing its approaching departure. It wasn't anything special, just another train really, but to Mika, it was everything. The Hogwarts Express was written on its side in bold, black letters. Just for a moment, Mika though that the happiness that bubbled up inside her could cause her to become one of the blubbering messes that couldn't prevent their tears. Mika was relieved when she didn't let any of them escape.

"You two will be good, won't you?" Their mom questioned. Mika knew that she was trying to mask her worry and sorrow with sternness.

"Of course we will mom, we're angels." Both twins simultaneously claimed. The whole family knew that the statement held little to no truth in it.

"Try not to get into trouble in the first week." Their dad asked. Both children nodded their consent. A group hug then took place. Three of them clinging on for dear life; never wanting to let go, whilst one of them (James) was struggling for freedom. A sharp whistle cut through the air and the twins gathered up their luggage.

"Bye mom, dad. I love you both!" Mika shouted over her shoulder as she pushed through the crowd. James shouted something similar as he too struggled with his luggage. After wading through masses of crying mothers and sobbing fathers, they finally reached the train. A warning whistle reached their ears as they climbed on, their trunks clunking noisily behind them.

"We should find a compartment." Her brother decided whilst pulling his trunk behind him. Mika stared out of the window, watching as the train started to move, picking up speed, faces blurring into one. She just about caught sight of her parents in the masses of people before the train swung around a corner, preventing her from seeing her parents for any longer.

"Mika, come on." The shout came from further down the train. She took a steadying breath before grabbing her trunk once more and fighting her way through the excited students. Eventually, she got spat out into the compartment that her brother was waiting for her in. He kindly took her trunk and placed it on the rails above, even though he was not that much stronger than her.

"Thank you Jamie." He gave a nod in acceptance before withdrawing something from his jumper.

"I grabbed it just before we left." He claimed, holding up the invisibility cloak. The twins had been scheming on how to get their hands on the cloak for the past couple of months, determined to use it for pranking at Hogwarts. Sadly, their dad had always kept both his study door locked, as well as the draw holding the cloak its self.

"How did you get it?" Mika wondered.

"His study door was ajar and the draw was unlocked!" He stated, pride lacing his words. Mika was almost 100% sure that their dad had allowed them to steal the cloak, being aware of their 'secret' longing of it for years. She was just happy that he decided that they could have it before Hogwarts rather than after.

"That's great Jamie, think of all-" Before Mika could finish her sentence, the compartment door slammed open and somebody stormed in. Mika immediately recognised him as Sirius, his normally handsome face scrunched into a mix between a glare and a sneer. His clothes were of high quality, just like they were expected to be for the heir of a pureblood house; however they were more rumpled than they should have been. Mika was glad that she had basic pureblood etiquette lessons when she was younger so she could observe these things.

"Excuse me- who are you?" James asked, standing up as if to shield Mika from the potential danger as she quickly shoved the cloak out of sight. The boy looked up abruptly, as though he didn't notice that he had just, quite dramatically might I add, stormed into someone else's compartment. Sirius' eyes scanned both twins, as if looking for any potential threat. Mika's heart broke a bit at the fact that he felt as if he needed to scan for a threat. His analytical gaze paused on her, a twinge of recognition appeared in his eyes.

"I know you." He stated, ignoring the protective glare that the older twin was sending him. Mika gently placed a calming hand on James' arm.  
"It's ok." She muttered in his ear, quietly enough that Sirius couldn't hear her. She then proceeded to gracefully dart around her brother to stand nearer to the uncertain boy.

"We met at Diagon Alley." She reminded him. "I'm Mika Potter." Sirius nodded acceptance, allowing her to understand that he remembered her. Mika then decided to continue introductions, hoping that the tension would soon dissipate.

"This is my brother; Jamie." The ice cold glare that Mika felt from her other half made her grin. He hated with a passion being called Jamie in front of anyone other than Mika.

"Jamie, this is Sirius Black." Mika continued the introduction, hoping that by breaking the ice the two could become friends. Mika was a tiny bit apprehensive about the two meeting each other, although she was pretty sure that her brother held no ill-intent towards the dark aligned family, she couldn't be too certain. Relief filled her when her twin stepped forwards and offered the Black heir a hand to shake.

"Nice to meet you Sirius. Please ignore my sisters infuriating pet name for me, my real name is James Potter." Sirius shook his hand with grace that only a Pureblood could have before grinning at the other boy.

"Nice to meet you James, if I hang around long enough will I get to call you Jamie as well?" Mika let a grin form on her face; she was watching the beginning of a friendship that would last until death. The boys then steered the direction of the conversation onto Quidditch. Both of them debating who will win the World cup with Mika chipping in occasionally. Personally, Mika wanted the Holyhead Harpies to win. Sirius however, rooted for Falmouth Falcons whilst Jamie supported Puddlemere United. After a three hour long debate over who will win the league, Mika realised that she had forgotten an important addition to her new friend group; A werewolf to be exact. Mika wasn't completely sure how to befriend the boy, she expected him to be timid as a result of his condition. Sirius was easy to befriend, he was outgoing and a real character. She was scared that Remus wouldn't fit in as well.

"Are you ok Mika?" Sirius was looking at her in concern; she had drifted off in thought. She was about to reply but her twin beat her too it.

"Don't worry Sirius, she often gets lost in thought. She's not one hundred per cent there…" He stage whispered the end part to his newest companion and was met with laughter. Mika rolled her eyes at the childish antics before standing up.

"I'm going exploring!" She declared, and flounced out the compartment before her brother could stop her. Although she was known for exploring new places, her family were still very protective over her, especially the male Potters. It was rare that she was actually allowed to partake in her exploring curiosity. Luckily for her, James was preoccupied with a new friend and would allow her to wander for a short period of time unaccompanied. She ambled down the corridors; they were much emptier than before. She only passed a few people and she didn't recognise any of them. Every time she passed a compartment, she would peer in, searching for a lonely boy that she could hopefully integrate into her life. After Mika had travelled the whole length of the train, she finally found him. He was sitting quietly in the last compartment in the whole train, reading a book. The compartment looked older and dirtier than the rest; Mika assumed that because of that it was the only empty one that he could sit in. Her heart broke a little at the sight. The boy looked about her height and was curled into himself, as though he was shielding himself from the outside world. Or maybe, shielding the outside world from himself. His sandy brown hair was quite long, and kept falling into his eyes, to which he would brush it away and continue his reading. Mika could guess that the long hair was an attempt at covering the few scares that littered the young boy's face. They weren't that noticeable, but they were still there. The most vivid one ran over along and over his eyebrow. His eyes were a beautiful shade of green that were focused on his worn book, absorbing the knowledge it obtained and seeking a tiny bit of comfort from the familiar words. He had freckles dusting his soft face; it lacked the stereotypical sharp Pureblood look and Mika though it suited him. He had already changed into his Hogwarts robes. They looked second-hand and were already fraying at one of the sleeves. Mika felt slightly guilty, knowing that her robes were not only custom made, but made with a high quality material. Mika raised her head, and plastered the friendliest smile that she could muster on her face before knocking on the door and entering the compartment. The second that she stepped inside the young boy looked up in shock and a slight bit of fear. Mika didn't know if he was scared that she would hurt him, or vice versa. She gracefully sat down on the seat opposite the scared boy and held out her hand.

"Hello, I'm Mika Potter." She stated, looking at him expectantly. The boy stared at her; not looking like her was going to move anytime soon. Mika awkwardly held her hand out for over ten painfully long seconds, and she started to retract the limb but the timid boy reached out and shook it as quickly as possible.

"R-Remus Lupin." He stated his voice so quiet that she almost missed it. He gave a small smile in her direction but did not attempt eye contact. Mika smiled wider, believing that it was a good sign.

"Are you a first year as well?" She questioned. He lowered his book onto his lap; Mika assumed that he was trying to be 'more open'.

"Yeah… Are you?"  
"Yep. I'm really excited to learn real magic! My parents never let me use my wand and you can only get so much from books. I'm allowed to fly though so it's not like no magic is allowed in the house. We are also allowed to attempt potions but that seems a bit boring, doesn't it? It's better than nothing I suppose… Sorry, I'm rambling. What subject are you most excited for?" Remus gave a small shrug, his eyes scrunched up in concentration before answering.

"I think I'm most excited for charms." He said; a gentle smile graced his face before he quickly looked down. It wasn't much but it gave Mika hope that she would be able to extract him from his shell.

"I think charms will be fun. Personally I'm most excited for transfiguration though." A small smile was exchanged between the two before they lapsed into silence. It was a mix of awkwardness and comfort; it felt both strange but right. A minute passed, maybe two before Mika spoke again. She had let the silence drip on as Remus looked as though he needed time to organise his thoughts, he probably wanted longer but Mika wasn't known for her patience.

"What book are you reading?" The boy glanced at the book on his lap that had previously been forgotten. It was old and worn like all his other possessions, but it looked as though it was well looked after, worn from use instead of abuse.

"Hogwarts A History. It always fascinated me. I loved reading it even though I never thought I could actually go to Hogwarts…" He trailed off at the end, realising the questions that may follow could not be answered. He seemed to revert back into his original hunched position, having slowly emerged slightly over the duration of their conversation.

"I love that book." Mika declared, "I think that it's so fascinating." The two proceeded to chat about that book, and many others, building the foundation of a friendship just as strong as Mika's twin and the black heir. Not that they knew that.

Mika and Remus had been chatting away for hours, not realising how fast the time was going. They had moved onto the subject of the sorting for the sixth time. Mika already knew how they were going to be sorted, not that she informed him. They were talking about the pros and cons of Ravenclaw when an announcement made them freeze.

"We will be arriving in thirty minutes. Please make sure that you have changed into you uniform."

"I suppose that means that I have to change now." Mika said, gesturing to her daily robes and standing up. Remus nodded his acknowledgment, reaching for his book again. Mika paused in her actions.

"You can come back to my compartment if you want. My brother is in there with our trunks." He seemed to think about the idea for a second before gathering up his things and nodding in agreement. She waited patiently and held the compartment door open for him while he was dragging his trunk behind him. She then proceeded to lead him through the empty hallways, laughter and conversation drifting from the many compartments. She guided him back to her original compartment with ease, throwing open the door dramatically to announce her return.

"Do not fear, Your Queen has returned!" She cried out as she stepped inside the compact room. A small part of her was filled with relief that it was in fact, the right compartment, and not a stranger's. Thinking about strangers though, there was a new person in the compartment. He had blond hair that fell over his face, looking like it had been carefully styled that way. His eyes, that were a light blue, looked up at her in shock as she appeared. He was quite chubby, obviously still clinging on to his baby fat. Mika recognised him easily: _Peter Pettigrew_. She knew that it was wrong, but loathing filled every fibre of her being. The logical part of her mind told her that he hadn't done anything wrong yet. Sadly, she had the mentality of an eleven year old, and promptly ignored all logic. Instead, she promised herself that she would do everything in her power to remove the threat from her brother and his friends.

"Mika, this is Peter Pettigrew." Her brother introduced. His eyes were scanning her body for any obvious injury from her time away from him, after finding none he relaxed slightly. Mika tried to force a smile on her face, looking at the young boy smiling meekly in front of her, but she couldn't. She didn't know what was plastered on her face however she was almost certain that it came out as more as a grimace, especially given the fact that he sunk back into his seat slightly. Feeling slightly awkward, Mika decided to introduce her new friend.

"This is Remus Lupin." She introduced, pulling the young boy hiding behind her into the room.

"Treat him well," She instructed her brother, "I'm going to get changed into my school robes." Mika grabbed her uniform and exited the compartment. She started walking towards where the loos were located to change, thoughts swirling around her head as she went. _James better be nice to Remus. Remus really needs some more confidence; he's so sweet but way too shy. I guess being a werewolf will do that to you. He just doesn't deserve what happened to him! He's a good person, why do bad things only happen to good people? Like James, why did he have to befriend that traitor: Pettigrew? I mean, I get that Peter's currently just a child but he's dangerous. I wish everything was simple. Why is everything so messed up?_ Mika was pulled out of her thoughts as she arrived at the toilets. She quickly went into a cubical and changed into her uniform. It smelt wrong. Different. Mika shrugged it off quickly and returned to the compartment once again. When she arrived, James and Sirius were leading the discussion, Peter chipping in occasionally and Remus listening to everything that they were saying. Mika perched next to Remus on the uncomfortable train seat, gazing out the window in anticipation.

People were everywhere. Pushing one way, shoving in a different direction. The noise was horrendous, causing Mika's eardrums to ache. Her hand was firmly placed in her twins and the other one held Remus'. James' other hand held Sirius' who held Peters. They were getting jostled in every direction, having no clue where to go themselves, they remained stationary. That task was harder than it sounded, especially if you consider how much smaller they all were than everyone around them. They had gotten off the train only minutes ago which proved to be a mistake. The station was filled with students from all years, trying to get to the warm castle that awaited them.

"First years, first years over here." All of the five youngsters followed the shout, also eager to reach the warmth that the castle would hopefully give. A man that seemed much too large to be human stood tall. A lantern was hanging from a hand, lighting up his features. Not that Mika could see much, a bushy beard covered the majority of his face, his untameable hair covering most of the remaining parts. Mika could understand that to most people he could look terrifying. His larger than life figure and rough appearance causing fear to bubble up. The Potter parents had informed their children of how much of a softy Hagrid was which caused Mika to be eager to meet him. Sadly, they were all being herded towards some ancient boats so there was no time. Mika quickly travelled to one of them, climbing in with a gracefulness that she was proud that she could achieve. She then pulled Remus into it after her, making sure that he didn't lose his balance and fall into the freezing depths below. Sirius clambered into the boat next, causing it to rock harshly with his abrupt movements.

"No more than four to a boat!" Mika heard Hagrid voice cut through the crisp night air. She immediately looked at her brother who was just about to climb aboard, the rat lurking behind him looking pitiful. James caught her eye and, much to her displeasure, turned back to talk to the traitor. She couldn't hear the conversation but she was sure that James was checking if it was ok if Peter to find another boat as he wanted to stay with her. She knew that she was right when her brother climbed into the boat that she was occupying and the other boy walked dejectedly to another boat. Pettigrew had just scurried onto a boat when they started moving. Looks of wonder appeared on everyone's faces. For the muggleborns and some of the half-bloods, it was their first real experience with magic. For the remaining half-bloods and Purebloods, it was what they had been waiting for their whole lives. Mika could feel the magic pulsing through her. It felt like Ollivanders but much stronger and more blissful. She was attempting to admire everything in the dim light originating from the Half-Giant's lamp. Mika leaned over the edge of the boat, dipping her hand into the icy water, watching it cut through the liquid and create small waves. James pulled her away from the edge and tucked her under his arm. Together they watched the castle emerge from around a corner. It looked magnificent. Proud towers stood tall, watching over the authentic bricks that made up the castle. Light was pouring out of the windows, inviting all of the shivering first years into their new home. And that's what Mika felt it looked like; home. Mika was so enhanced by the beauty of the castle in front of her, that she barely noticed the boats stopping, until her brother pulled her out of it. All of the first years trooped up the slippery steps that lead them away from the docks, and towards the grand doors. Once they had all entered the room, Mika realized that Pettigrew had returned to their small group. She didn't have time to dwell on that annoyance as Minerva McGonagall strode into the room, looking stern and important. She was wearing red robes to subtly support her house and her hair was pulled into a tight bun on top of her head.

"The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." She said, before exiting the hall. Mika noted that it was the exact same speech in the book series, and those books were set years into the future. _Does she ever change it? Maybe the first years are always treated the same, are the ghosts planning on scaring us all?_ Mika was looking around, trying to spot the dead that weren't as dead as they should be when her new Professor re-entered.

"Follow me." She instructed and marched into the hall. After a moment of hesitance, children started to follow her lead. They obviously decided that entering ten minutes late was worse than entering on time. Mika completely agreed. She stepped into the hall, and immediately felt awed. It was so magical! The ceiling showed the dark clouds from outside, floating candles hovering below the swirling weather, lighting up the thousands of children. She couldn't explain why it was so perfect, it just was. Mika followed the flow of children walking between the two middle tables. For the first time, she felt nervous. She was about to get sorted in front of many, many children as well as some of the most powerful wizards alive. Her eyes travelled to her feet, making sure that they were stepping evenly, one after another, as to not fall. All too soon, the gaggle of scared first-years came to a stop. There were about a hundred of them Mika assumed. It was going to be a long sorting. They all looked at a ragged hat perched upon a stall in confusion. _You'd think they'd take better care of such an important artefact_ Mika though, eyeing dirt and a few burn marks marring the hat. Abruptly, the hat began to move and opened it's 'mouth', extracting gasps of shock from the eleven year olds. It then, proceeded to sing. **(I don't know how to write a sorting song and I don't want you to have to suffer through my attempt. Sorry.)**

ProfessorMcGonagall appeared next to the stool with a long list of parchment after the hat finished. She carefully unrolled it before reading out the first name.

"George Abbot." A small boy with brown hair stumbled out of the crowd. He seemed to be quivering with nerves and Mika felt slightly sorry for him, it has to be hard being the first one. McGonagall placed the old hat on the trembling boys head; it only brushed his hair before shouting out:  
"HUFFLEPUFF!" A large round of applause went around the hall as the boy walked to the correct table. The Puffs' seemed happy that they had gotten the first new member of the year. McGonagall continued with the ceremony, continuing down the list, calling up unconfident children. After about five more children, she called out a name that Mika had been waiting for: Sirius Black. A hush went over the hall as the boy strutted defiantly towards the hat. It was a facade; he was trying desperately to seem more assured than he felt and Mika could see right through it. He was terrified of following in his family's footsteps. He sat down on the crooked stool and the hat was placed on his black mop. A minute passed. Another ticked by. A frown appeared on his face, fear flashing through his features every so often. It was a hatstall. A seemingly long time had passed before the hat seemed to finally make his decision.

"GRYFFINDOR," It declared, silence followed the statement. Even McGonagall seemed shocked. Blacks never went anywhere other than Slytherin. It was unheard of. Unnatural. Mika took one look at Sirius' face and realised that this was the happiest that she had seen him so far. He had proved to himself that he wasn't like his family in front of many people. A grin was taking over his whole face, ignoring the shock and silence that radiated throughout the hall. Mika smiled at him, and began clapping. James joined in after a second, as did Remus. Slowly, others began to clap, it was not the full applause that people often got when they were sorted, but it was enough for Sirius, as he headed over to his rightful place in Gryffindor. People slid away from him as he sat on the bench, but he didn't care and smiled at his new friends instead. The sorting continued as normal, names that she felt she recognised were called and names that she had never even thought of had been called. Remus was placed in Gryffindor in less than a minute and took a seat next to Sirius. Pettigrew got called up and after a while was also placed in Gryffindor, much to Mikas displeasure. Her bother was called and placed in Gryffindor as soon as the hat brushed his messy hair. It was finally the moment that Mika had been dreading.

"Mika Potter." She walked out of the thinning group with much more confidence than she felt. Flashing a smile to her new professor, she sat down on the stool. Her eyes were scanning the vast crowd of hungry and board students when the hat blocked her vision.

 _ **Mika Potter, how… interesting.**_

 _In what way?_

 _ **I've never had a time traveller before, especially a dimension traveller.**_

 _I'd feel disappointed if you had._

 _ **I'm sure you would, although you're not here to talk about your past. What we need to do, is find where you'd fit in best.**_ Mika decided to try and keep her thoughts to herself while the hat browsed through her mind; she didn't want to be in front of a crowd for too long after all.

 _ **You're very loyal to the one's you love, constantly trying to protect your brother and parents, although I don't think you'd fit in with the Hufflepuffs too well. You'd also be a very good slytherin. Very ambitious and cunning, already manipulating people to your will-**_

 _I am not manipulating anyone!_

 _ **Then why did you befriend the werewolf?**_

 _Because he's a good person and deserves to have friends!_

 _ **Ok, if that's what you want to believe-**_

 _Because it's true!_

 _ **You wouldn't be best in slytherin anyway; no self-preservation and you would not be-able to forge as many relationships with that much prejudice against you. Ravenclaw would suit you, you're thirst for knowledge is large and you have plenty of smarts. You could also do quite well in Gryffindor; bravery is a trait that you have plentiful of, recklessness is also a large factor in your life.**_

 _How am I reckless?_ The hat elected to ignore her this time.

 _ **Yes, you would defiantly do very well in-**_

"GRYFFINDOR!" A grin overtook Mika's face as the hat was plucked from her head. She skipped over to her brother at the Gryffindor table. The remainder of the sorting was uneventful. Nothing interesting happened and it didn't last too long. Mika was leaning against her brother's shoulder when the sorting ended. She hadn't realised how tired she was until she'd been sorted. Professor Dumbledore stood up and spoke a few words that Mika couldn't make heads or tail of. Finally, he waved his hand, and food appeared. It was everywhere, the table dipped because of the weight of it. Every dish you could ever imagine was sitting in front of them. People grabbed everything that they could get their hands on, Mika included, ignoring he fatigue in favour of food. And after the main course, the desserts where amazing. Mika could never describe how grand and delicious that meal was. After the feast had ended, the Gryffindor prefects lead the first-years to their new dorm room. Mika knew that she would never remember her way; they went up and down many stair cases, crept through secret passage ways, walked through walls, argued with doors. Finally, they reached the gold and red homey room. The prefects did some speech about how everyone in this house was family and if you had any problems you could speak to them. It was almost half an hour of nonsense Mika decided. Once they were finished, James decided to wish Mika goodnight, obviously feeling just as tired as she did.

"Night Mika," he said, pulling her into a crushing hug, "I hope you sleep well." He whispered into her ear. After they pulled back Mika could see the unasked question in his eyes: Does she want to sleep in his bed as usual? Mika gave a small shake of her head and shrugged. She knew that she needed to get used to her bed and would try to sleep alone. She held her brothers eye contact for another few seconds before bidding the boys goodnight and climbing up her own staircase. All of her dorm mates were already in their beds, drapes pulled around their bed to ensure maximum privacy from the strangers sleeping next to them. Mika quickly changed into her night clothes and clambered into her bed, wishing for a pleasant night.

It had been hours since Mika had gone to bed; sleep just wouldn't grace her with its presence. She had been debating going to see if Jamie had the same problem for a while now, not having the courage to leave the warm bed that she was snuggled in. After much internal debate, Mika decided that she did need sleep for her first day, and if the only way to get that sleep is to sleep in her brother's bed, so be it. She quietly sat up in her bed and pulled the drapes back, none of the girls were awake as far as she could tell. She planted her feet on the cold floor, looking around and trying to find the door in the lack of light. Once she spotted it, she pushed herself of her comfy matrass, heading for her brother. She travelled down the winding staircase that lead to her room and went up the opposite one, finding the room that her brother should be sleeping in. Pushing the door open, thankful for its lack of squeaking, Mika looked for her brother's familiar trunk that he brought with him. Once spotting it, she tip toed over to the bed that, like all of the others, had its drapes closed. She slithered in and lay down next to her twin. His arms instantly encircled her, allowing her to acknowledge that he was also still awake. Minutes after the twins huddled together, they were both sound asleep; they were home.

 **Minerva McGonagall's sorting speech was a direct extract from the Harry Potter books, it is not mine.**


	3. First Day At Hogwarts

**For all of you who read this story before I re-wrote the first two chapters: I have decided that Mika is no longer a metamorphous as I see no point for doing so. If you have time to read them then I have completely re-wrote the whole two chapters, basing them on the original two and I don't think that I have made many changes however there may be some. The Mika no longer being a metamorphous is the main difference. I will also be trying to update much more frequently however I am currently very busy. Thanks.**

 _Thoughts are in italics._

Mika was sleeping peacefully. The events of the previous day had exhausted her and her lack of sleep had not helped. She was snuggled safely under her twins arm like normal, oblivious to the world. A slight breeze drifted through the dorm, ruffling Remus' hair as he did up his shoe. He had been awake and getting ready for his first day for over half an hour. He'd had a shower and gotten completely dressed. He picked up his bag to leave and walked to the door, sadly, luck was not in his favour. He tripped over a rouge shoe that one of the boys had left on the floor. This resulted in him flinging his bag in a random direction as he brought his hands up to protect his face as he fell. A loud bang was the resultant sound ringing around the room, accompanied with an even louder girly scream originating from said falling boy. Mika shot upright much like her twin at the noise, as did Sirius not that they could see him. Peter also attempted to sit up however he was the unfortunate victim of a flying book bag to the head; knocking him back down.

"What was that?" Jamie whispered to his twin who was looking in Remus' general direction with concern.

"I don't know," She responded with a shrug, "I suppose one of your dorm mates." He nodded his head in agreement before laying back down on the comfy mattress.

"What was that?" Sirius called out to the room as Mika lay back down next to her brother and stared at the top of his four poster bed.

"I may have fallen over." Remus' meek voice announced. Mika couldn't see the unfortunate werewolf but could imagine the blush that was spreading over his cheeks in embarrassment.

"What time is it?" Peter groaned from his bed on the other side of the room. Mika searched for some form of watch to tell the time but someone else answered before she could find anything.

"About eight in the morning, I was going down for breakfast before I tripped and…" Remus trailed off, still mortified that he had woken them all up with his clumsiness. Mika however, had other thoughts on her mind, classes started at nine.

"We're going to be late!" She exclaimed as she ripped open her brother's drapes. Her vision had to adjust to the sunlight suddenly streaming in her eyes. When they focused, Mika examined the room that she had spent her night in. The room had a tall celling with a small chandelier hanging from the centre, not that it was currently lit. There was a window with a seat on the wall opposite the door; light was flooding through the glass lighting up the room. Mika used that light to spot another door in-between two beds, leading to a bathroom she presumed. There were only four beds in the dorm; Mika supposed that the Gryffindor boys were split into different dorms. Each bed had red drapes surrounding it and a trunk sitting at the end of it. Wardrobes and side tables were strategically placed around the circular room that, unsurprisingly, was already a mess. Right in the centre of the room, was a surprised looking Remus, still very red in the face and looking at her. Girls weren't meant to be in the boy's dorm after all.

"Mika, is that you?" Sirius appeared from his bed, clambering out of his fortress of comfort in his sleep clothes. Mika suddenly felt slightly wary, she wasn't meant to be there and she was invading their own space. To make matter's worse; she was only wearing her nightgown. Luckily for her, at that moment her twin decided that it was the perfect moment to make an appearance.

"Yeah, we always share a bed," He informed them, wiggling out of his tangled sheets and onto the floor. "We shared a cot once we were born but now it's just a habit. Do you have a problem with that?" There was a protective edge to his voice, proving that there was little room for disagreement. Sirius and Remus both seemed to get the underlying threat as they gave him a brief nod before looking away. Mika let the awkward silence wash over them for a second before taking her leave.

"I need to go get changed, I'll see you later." She gave the boys a wave before heading out of the door and closing it gently behind her. As she walked back to her dorm, many people stared at her strangely. She shrugged it off; she didn't care what they thought. It only took her a minute to reach her dorm. _Good to know._ She thought. She opened the door to see a dorm identical to her brothers except from the inhabitants. She could clearly see that all of her dorm mates were awake; all of the beds had been evacuated. Two girls were sitting in front of a mirror, doing their hair. Mika assumed the other one was in the bathroom since she could hear a shower running. _They seem nice, I might as well try to befriend the girls that I'll be living with for the next seven years._ With that optimistic thought, Mika made her presence known.

"Hi, I'm Mika." Both girls jumped slightly and turned to face the newcomer. The girl closest to Mika was about Mika's height, maybe a bit shorter. She was dressed in her school uniform, all looking very neat almost as though it had been reputedly checked for faults however it was wrong. She wore her robes an obviously muggle way that Mika knew wouldn't be accepted. Her hair was abnormally straight, coloured bright red and reaching past her elbows. Her face was very pretty, if not for the annoyed expression plastered on it. Her full lips were pulled into a frown, causing her features to look harsher as a result. Her eyes were the most stunning green that Mika had ever seen. They also contained the most displeased glare Mika had ever received from a stranger. _Lily Evans._ In her past life, Lily was one of her favourite characters. For the past few years she had hoped that they could be good friends, Mika was now re-thinking that idea. She looked at the girl standing to her side, hoping to find slightly less open hostility directed at her. This girl was slightly shorted than her companion, also dressed in her uniform. Unlike Lily's, it was not extremely neat, only a small amount of effort had gone into making it look neater than usual, it too was worn in a half muggle, half witch way. Her hair was naturally curled into ringlets that fell around her face to her chest. On her face there was also a slight glare although obviously less than the red headed girl's. Her eyes were a light blue that complemented her hair nicely. She had the normal aristocratic face shape that many purebloods had; high cheekbones and an overall defined face. Mika wasn't completely sure who the second witch was but knew one thing, both of them were extraordinarily beautiful and didn't like her.

"What is your relationship with James Potter?" Lily demanded. It suddenly clicked for Mika, James must have done something to annoy her. Mika herself was bad by association and the other girl had only heard bad things about her from Lily. A small bubble of resentment bubbled up inside Mika at how quickly Lily decided to judge her.

"He's my twin. Do you have a problem with that?" Mika stated as she started to glare at the pretty red head.

"Are you an insufferable tog-rag like him?"

"Excuse me? How DARE you call someone that you don't know names!" Rage filled Mika at the unjust way Lily was treating her brother. She didn't know him.

"I know him well enough after how he treated me and Sev on the Hogwarts express." Lily declared.

"So you know that he's instantly horrid because of one bad experience?" Lily gave a small but justified nod that really annoyed Mika.

"Well-" Mika began, only to be cut off,

"Where were you last night anyway? You weren't in your bed- I checked."

"That's an invasion of privacy! My bed is my space; the prefects said that." That was one of the few things that Mika remembered from the prefects tedious speech.

"Well, it would look quite bad on me if one of my irresponsible dorm members was late for lessons, wouldn't it?" Lily was giving Mika a condescending look and she hated it. _Why right does she had to come in here and invade my privacy because she's so obviously my leader! She didn't even grow up a Witch!_ Mika didn't care what type of blood people had; she quite frankly found the whole thing ridicules. Purebloods shouldn't reject Muggleborns because they didn't know their traditions; they should teach them. But Lily hadn't had etiquette lessons since she was five, or other pureblood training that even Mika had! Mika's parents were against old Pureblood traditions but even they still thought they were important enough for Mika and James to learn. _Lily should be asking someone for tips about how to fit into our society, not try to take charge!_ Mika broke out of her musing when Lily gave a displeased tut of her lips and strutted out, shoving Mika's shoulder when she passed. Marlene followed her out with her head held high but still gave a small apologetic smile in Mika's direction. Once they were out of the room, Mika threw herself onto her bed, grabbed a pillow and screamed into it in frustration. _How can anyway be so… Lily like!_

"Are you ok?" A timid voice asked, Mika withdrew her head from her pillow so she could see the new speaker. Their height was about the same and she, like the other two, was wearing her Hogwarts robes very smartly. She was the only one of her roommates that was correctly wearing her robes. Her hair was a light blond that had a small wave to it, flowing past her elbows to reach about Lily's length. Her face was gentle for a Pureblood; more rounded and soft. Her eyes were brown and looking at Mika in concern.

"I'm ok. A bit frustrated but ok." Mika gave a smile at the newcomer; she seemed like the nicest roommate out of the three.

"I'm Alice Prewett," She greeted Mika with a smile and an offered hand to shake.

"Mika Potter." Mika held out her hand and shook with the young girl. "Do you know who are other two roommates are?"

"Lily Potter and Marlene McKinnon," Alice's face scrunched up in displeasure thinking about them. "They said that my robes were incorrect and got mad at me when I told them that it was theirs that were incorrect. Marlene is a Pureblood, shouldn't she know that she's the one in the wrong." Mika gave a small hum of consideration. Purebloods and some half-bloods had been wearing robes for their whole lives, Marlene included. Why would she suddenly switch now? And then it clicked. _Lily. She's like Hermione with the house-elves. She doesn't understand our traditions and is trying to change them to a more muggle way. She is trying to change everything that we do, with little to no understanding of how we live! She can't do that; she'll just make problems for herself._

"I think that Lily is trying to modernise the way that we live and wear robes, she's trying to create a more muggle like culture and Marlene is doing the same as Lily since she seems quite controlling." Alice nodded in thought and opened her mouth to speak when Mika caught sight of a clock.  
"I need to get ready- sorry." She called over her shoulder as she ran into the bathroom, trying to look presentable for her first day.

Alice and Mika headed down for breakfast together, Alice had waited for Mika claiming that she didn't want her to have to get lost alone. Sadly, just because there were two of them, didn't mean they got lost any less. They eventually reached the great hall with only ten minutes before their first lesson started. Mika led Alice over to her brother and the future 'Marauders' who seemed to be in a deep discussion. Mika sat down next to her twin and Alice sat next to Mika. The boys instantly turned to the newcomers.

"Mika," Sirius began," What is a better breakfast food: A full English breakfast or Pancakes?" Alice giggled slightly at the strange question, helping herself to toast as she did so.

"My twin should know it's a Full English breakfast, especially since she's lived with me for the past eleven years." Mika looked at Jamie's pleading face, begging her to agree with him before answering.

"I must agree with Sirius I'm afraid, pancakes are by far the best breakfast food."

"Yes, I told you so!" Sirius declared, jumping up as James groaned into his hands in defeat.

"My own twin betrayed me!" He cried dramatically as he threw himself down onto the table. Mika bit into a piece of toast with a grin on her face.

"It's not betrayal when you're wrong." She corrected. "Anyway, have you got your timetables yet?" Remus gave a nod before passing her a sheet of paper.

"McGonagall came by ten minutes ago and gave James yours," He then turned to Alice, "I'm sorry, she didn't give me yours…" He trailed of, waiting for her name.

"Alice, Alice Prewett."

"Remus Lupin." They shook hands over the head of James and the table. Mika however, was looking at her new timetable. She had potions first with the Ravenclaws.

"We need to get going." She stated as she grabbed another piece of toast from the table to munch on during the walk. The other five collected up their bags and Alice, who decided to find her timetable later, also grabbed another piece of toast before they started the search for their new classroom.

"We're here." Mika gasped, clutching her side as she burst through the door into the potions classroom. Remus, James, Sirius, Alice and Pettigrew all ran in behind her. They had been searching for their class and decided to run to prevent lateness, sadly, running had not helped.

"No harm done." Cried a joyous man who was standing at the front of the classroom. He was rather pudgy in his expensive looking dress robes. He had a receding hairline as well as a large grin on his face. His classroom was well lit, lights decorating the moist looking dungeon that had jars and bottles surrounding the walls.

"If you just take your seats, I have a seating plan around here somewhere…" He fumbled through many different papers, dropping a few. Lily took this time to turn around in her seat and glare at them. She obviously loathed the fact that they were making Gryffindor look bad. Mika aimed a smirk in her direction, making the red head glare harder.

"Here it is." He said in triumphant. He waved a tattered piece of paper in the air before reading from it and directing everyone to their seats. Mika got placed next to a girl from Ravenclaw. She placed her things next to the girl who was looking dreamily into the distance. She had dirty blonde hair that reached her waist with many curls in it. Her skin was very pale, strangely so. Her uniform was neat and perfect with a few additions, a butter beer cork necklace hung round her neck and radishes hung from her ears. Suddenly the girl looked at Mika, her eyes a shocking pale silver, like moonlight.

"Hello, I'm Pandora. It's nice to meet you Mika." _She must be Luna's mother. She looks exactly as I imagined Luna._

"Nice to meet you Pandora, how did you know my name?"

"Professor Slughorn of course." _That makes sense._ Mika was about to say something else when Slughorn stated talking again.

"Now that we're all here, I've got a short quiz for you all to do so I can figure out how much prior knowledge you have." Mika didn't mind quizzes; she was quite smart after all. _This will be easy…_

It was twenty pages long! In what universe is that a short quiz? Mika still felt pretty confident, she knew that some of her answers were wrong. It seemed that it wasn't just first year curriculum on that quiz as Mika had read the whole textbook and there was new content on the quiz. She looked around the room and noticed that most of the other students seemed quite frazzled as well. They probably hadn't read their textbooks yet. _Of course they haven't read their textbooks yet, what normal person would spend their spare time reading a school book?_

"I will have these marked for your next lesson, dismissed." Slughorn called out as he trotted into a room behind his desk with the many quizzes in his hands. The young witches and wizards shared confused looks before gathering up their equipment and leaving the cold, miserable classroom.

"I'll see you later Pandora." Mika chirped. She then met up with her new friends and headed to their next lesson: charms. This time, the six of them followed the rest of the first year Gryffindors to their next lesson. They arrived only a couple of minutes late but the teacher didn't seem to care.

"Take a seat, you can't be expected to find the right way on your first time after all." He squeaked at them, allowing them to sit wherever they wanted. All of the Slytherins had already taken their seats on one side of the class so the Gryffindors filled up the other side. Except Lily Evans, she walked over to a boy with greasy black hair that reached his shoulder; his nose was in a hooked shape and his glare softened at the sight of the red head. His robes seemed second hand and the green made his already pale skin seem so much paler. As Lily sat next to the boy, Marlene looked around in confusion before sitting with a Gryffindor girl from another dorm. The Slytherins however, took one look at the obviously Muggleborn girl in their midst, and starting glaring at the uninformed witch. Mika ignored the blatant show of house rivalry directed at Lily and sat next to Alice, allowing the boys to pair up.

"I'm Professor Flitwick and I teach charms," The man was very short and he was balanced on an unsteady pile of books that seemed to use magic for balance. The pile of novels that he was standing on wasn't the only books in his classroom though, surrounding the desks were many more piles of texts, all teetering as though about to fall. He was the Ravenclaws' head of house in his defence; he was expected to be smart. "This lesson is going to be slightly different from most; we're going to start with a test to see what previous knowledge you have." Almost all of the Gryffindors groaned, sensing a theme from their first two lessons. The Slytherins were more composed but when the excessively long test was placed in front of them, some of them gave a small groan of displeasure as well. It was going to be another long lesson.

It was a free period for all of the first year Gryffindors. They had finished their second exam for the day and all of them expected another one, if not two more. Many of them had returned to the common room to sulk or relax, James, Sirius and Alice wanted to follow the example of their house mates.

"I don't see why you want to go to the library Mika. This is our only free before lunch." Remus and Peter had kept quiet during the disagreement, not wanting to get involved.

"We've got transfiguration next, McGonagall will probably have a test ready and I want to be prepared." Mika argued.

"But we could plan a great prank in this spare time!" James wined. Mika loved planning and executing pranks, it was one of her favourite pass times, she also loved knowledge though. She prided herself on her smarts, she was naturally smart because of her eidetic memory but she wanted to be better.

"Come on Mika; let's go back to the common room." Alice pleaded with her; she also didn't want to do extra work.

"Look, I'm going to the library," She held up her hand as they started to protest again, "You can come with me if you want too and if you don't want to, don't come. I don't mind. What's the worst that could happen?" With that, Mika spun on her heels and started walking in the direction of the library. After a couple of second, Remus caught up to her brisk pace.

"The others are heading back but I want to go anyway." Mika smiled at the timid boy who had latched onto her. She knew that if he hadn't of come, Jami would have instead. James was too overprotective for his own good,.

"What did you think of the charms quiz?" She asked conversationally.

"I thought it was ok, I only knew about half of the answers but we're not meant to know it all." Mika nodded in agreement, she found charms easier than the potions quiz but it was still quite difficult. They continued to chat about the tests they had done and what could be on the next ones when they reached the library. At Potter manor there was a vast library however it was nothing compared to this. Mika had never seen so many books, all organised in straight shelves, ready to be read.

"Wow!" She whispered to herself, she heard Remus mutter something similar. Mika walked in a daze like fashion over to a shelf of transfiguration books and pulled one off that interested her. She sat down at the closest table, ignoring that fact that people could be using it, and was lost to the world for the next hour.

"I am Professor McGonagall; I will teach you transfiguration for the next seven years of your schooling." Remus had dragged Mika away from the library leaving them just enough time to get to their next class. Because they entered together, they decided to sit next to each other as well. James and Sirius had partnered up and Alice sat next to a Gryffindor girl from another dorm that she'd managed to befriend.

"As you may have guessed, this lesson is going to be a written exam testing your previous knowledge. You have one hour. Start" The papers flew gracefully onto everyone's desks at McGonagall's order. Mika opened her paper and smiled, this looked easy.

"These will be marked by next lesson. You can all leave except Miss Evans and Miss McKinnon. We need to discuss proper uniform." Mika stifled a giggle, for most of the lesson, the red headed girl had a proud smile on her face, and that smile had been wiped off at McGonagall's words. Lily and Marlene trudged towards the desk as Mika caught up with her brother to head to lunch.

"How was your free period then?" Mika asked, only for both James and Sirius to explain in depth what had happened. Apparently, they had gotten board after the first five minutes in the common room and gone exploring, finding many secret passage ways and crevices. When they reached the great hall to sit down, Mika realised that Alice hadn't joined them.

"Where's Alice gone?" Sirius mock glared at Mika for interrupting his explanation of the tapestry on the fourth floor. Apparently when you walked through it you appeared on the sixth floor instead.

"S-she told me that she was going to have lunch with some o-other Gryffindor girls and h-hoped that you didn't mind." Pettigrew stuttered his way through the sentence directed at Mika, obviously feeling the loathing vibes that she sent his way. Mika hid her displeased expression and nodded in the rat's direction. She much preferred ignoring the pathetic boy.

"I suppose it would be good for her to have other friends, I will likely be spending a lot of time with you guys." James absently nodded in agreement before slinging an arm around her shoulder.

"Of course you will, we need to wreak havoc after all." Mika smiled up at her older twin and grabbed a chip off his overflowing plate.

"I am the brains in this partnership after all." She claimed as she bit into the chip.

"Oi, what about me?" Sirius cried in her direction, waving his arms around melodramatically.

"You're right. Remus can also be the brains." She smiled at the boy who eagerly returned her smile. Sirius clutched his heart at the sight.

"Oh how you wound me," He exclaimed, "dismissing my smarts in exchange for him!" He finished his monologue with a gesture to Remus who rolled his eyes and continued to munch on his toast.

"I would dismiss your smarts for a knut." Mika said, grinning at the black haired boy.

"Enough you two, the mail is being delivered and that will cause enough drama without the two of you fighting." Both Mika and Sirius gave James an innocent grin before looking up at the opening in the great hall. Sure enough, hundreds of owls were flying through the hall, looking for their owners. Mika scanned the hall before spotting Hercules; Jamie's and her owl. He was still quite a young owl; the twins had gotten him as a surprise birthday gift in Diagon Alley when they were in the Quidditch shop. Apparently, Mika wasn't the only one in her family to sneak out of the overcrowded shop that day. The owl that had been picked was almost completely black; a few white specks had coated his plumage, making him look unique. Hercules' name had been James' choice, Mika could only think of 'Hedwig' but knew that she couldn't use that name. She thought that while Hercules was a tad cliché, it suited the owl. It landed next to Mika, preferring the youngest of the Potters and she always had uneaten food to feed him. As expected she plucked a piece of sausage of her plate for the majestic owl to gulp down. James reached over to untie the letter from his leg, a squawk left Hercules beak at the lack of food he was provided by James. Once the letter was free, he took flight once more, travelling to the owlery to rest. Mika then noticed something strange as James was handling their letter. Another pitch black bird was heading their way. Instead of an owl though, it was a raven. Its powerful wings cut through the air with grace. The main thing that had caught Mika's attention however, was the red envelope that was a stark contrast to the rest of its colour. It flew over her head, dipping low before flying out of the other end of the hall. As it went past, the red envelope was released from its talons and floated down in front of Sirius where it proceeded to land on his half full plate. Everyone who had caught sight of the Raven was now staring at the Black heir. He had a Howler. Sirius inhaled deeply and took the howler in shaking hands. He pried open the flap and it sprung into life.

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK, HOW DARE YOU DISHONOUR OUR FAMILY! YOU WILL MARCH YOURSELF TO THE HEADMASTER AND DEMAND A RESORT INTO YOUR RIGHTFULL HOUSE. NO SON OF OURS IS A GRYFFINDOR! I-"

Mika grabbed a jug of pumpkin juice and tipped it over the smoking parchment, dousing the sound with the sweet liquid and causing the letter to become redundant. She had watched Sirius turn paler and paler with every word screamed at him from his mother. The whole school had watched his mother state he wasn't her son if he was in Gryffindor. _This is barbaric, how could any worthy mother think this is a suitable punishment?_ Rage bubbled up inside the young Potter however she understood that she needed to keep it in check for her friend.

"I'm not that hungry anymore, let's go do more exploring." Mika left no room for argument in her tone as she grabbed Sirius' hand and led him from the hall, hearing the other three boys' footsteps following her. Once they had exited the large room, Sirius gave her hand a small squeeze before releasing it. It was a silent act of gratitude that Mika treasured.

"We haven't explored the seventh floor yet," James began hesitantly, not sure whether to ignore the issue or discuss it, "We could see what's up there."

"That's your first great idea of the month Jamie, congratulations." Mika mocked. James glared at her before shaking his head in exasperation.

"Not everyone can be perfect like you Mi." Mika shrugged before skipping of in a random direction, the boys trotting along faithfully behind her.

Mika and the boys were in the common room. They had explored the castle as much as they could before their next lesson: Herbology. They had that class with the Hufflepuffs and had yet another test. Their first full day at Hogwarts was coming to an end and Mika was both relieved and disappointed. She was feeling warn out from the long and tedious day that it had been, four quizzes really drained the life out of someone, but she didn't want it to end. She loved the feeling of being at Hogwarts, the magic surrounding her like a blanket, suits of armour moving at free will, portraits gossiping about the new students. _It will all be there tomorrow._ It would be, but over the next couple of days it would become natural. The blanket of magic would start to feel like a second skin, the armour suits would become another occurrence that happened every day. The gossiping about her and her year-mates would become an annoyance rather than an enduring quality. Mika knew it was going to happen, it had taken years but after a while the fact that she was now magical just became a part of life. She took it for granted slightly; hating the fact the she did so whilst also wondering why she had to do the dishes when a house elf could do it. Mika let out a tired sigh and dropped her head on her brother's shoulder. They were sitting in the couches surrounding the fireplace. The common room was defiantly cosy and reminded Mika of home. Hopefully the feeling would stick throughout the rest of her schooling. _I hope it does._ She released a yawn, fatigue from her lack of sleep taking over.

"Let's go up to bed." James declared, noticing how tired Mika looked. The others gave nods of agreement as they wandered up the boy's staircase. Mika joined them this time. She didn't see the point of going to her dorm if she was just going to return to her brothers again later. They all got changed into their pyjamas, Mika borrowing a shirt of her brothers that she always used to sleep in a home but her mother said was too unladylike for Hogwarts. Mika then snuggled next to her brother, waiting for him to turn the light out.

"Before we go to sleep, I was wondering if you wanted to read the letter that mom and dad sent us." Mika had completely forgotten about the letter to be honest, the howler had drawn all of her attention.

"Sure." She mumbled, sticking her hand out for the letter. A piece of parchment was shoved into her awaiting palm which she brought close to her face.

Dear James and Mika,

We hope that you're having a great time at Hogwarts and making lots of new friends. We also want to make sure that you haven't started causing trouble yet. The school have yet to owl us so we're holding out hope that you've suddenly transformed into a couple of angel's with halo and all. Sadly, we do not think that actually happened. If you can't behave, please at least write to your old parents, we do worry terribly about the two of you. You don't have to contact us immediately but once a week would be lovely. We love you both so very much and are missing you more than we could have imagined. Stay safe and have fun,

Mom and Dad.

Mika smiled at her mom's familiar calligraphy writing and hugged the parchment to her chest.

"I was thinking we could write them back tomorrow?" James questioned and Mika nodded her head in agreement. She placed the parchment on her bedside table before snuggling up to her brother, sleeping away her second night at Hogwarts, hoping that the next day would consist of more than just tests.


	4. First Year

**Hi, I'm back, sorry I have such long pauses between chapters; hopefully I will be able to stick to more regular updates this time. I hope you enjoy.**

Mika had been at Hogwarts for a little over a week, and she loved it. She loved everything about the quirky castle; the way the ghosts would float through walls unexpectedly, the walls would pretend to be doors and the doors pretend to be walls. It was everything she'd ever dreamed of. Everything Mika had ever expected from the magical castle. The teachers were amazing, except Binns. And the majority of the students were really nice to her as well. Mika did well in her classes, only a week in and she was fighting Lily for the top of the year spot in grades. Remus was just after them followed by Jamie and Sirius. Her parents had sent them both a food bundle to congratulate them on getting into Gryffindor. That was promptly shared with their friends. Said friends had already explored the castle with her and her brother one night, having a close call with Mrs Norris who they all declared a terror. Because of Mrs Norris almost ruining their adventure, James poured a bucket of blue paint over the poor creature, resulting in a month worth of detentions by an angry Mr Filch. Mika could admit that it was quite amusing though; the angry cat prowling the corridors, drenched in blue paint. Even her whiskers were blue! Sirius also wanted to play a prank on the fluffy menace, so he brought some cat nip as part of his elaborate plan, but when he was in transfiguration he accidently dropped it and drugged Professor McGonagall (who was in her cat form) instead. She proceeded to spend the next hour rolling around the floor, playing with the wad of cat nip and Sirius attempting to extract it from her paws. Instead, he got multiple scratches on his arms, an hour lecture and a month worth of detentions. Mika herself had gotten her first detention in flying class. She had been waiting for flying class for ages, ever since she got to Hogwarts she had wanted to get back on a broom and she knew that James felt the same. They both loved flying, it was what they did and they were both good at it, so it was expected that Mika wouldn't listen to the incompetent teacher's instructions. This meant that when Mika was instructed to hover gently for a few seconds before landing, did she do that? No. Mika pushed off with all her might, allowing the wind to flutter through her hair like a raging storm. She shot through the air like a bullet, going straight upwards before spiralling back down. All she could hear was the wind dancing around her, welcoming her home.

* * *

Mika was sleeping peacefully. The red and gold blanket that covered her brothers bed was thrown over her carelessly, one corner partially covering her face and the other three weren't even on her. Her black hair covered the rest of her face, which is how people knew it was her. This was the first night since the flying incident that she didn't have detention, which is why she was so irritated when Sirius took it upon himself to wake her up. The way he decided to wake her from her slumber? He was poking her incessantly whilst repeating her name at a constantly increasing volume. She rolled over, grabbing a pillow, which was also decorated in red and gold, and pulled it over her head.

"Let me sleep in peace." She begged; her voice coming out muffled from the pillow.

"Come on Mika," James was coming out of the bathroom, still in his pyjamas and looking much too awake, "We have to go now. Don't you want to explore the castle?" Mika let out a grunt in response and burrowed deeper into her pillow fortress. James and Sirius exchanged a look of pure exasperation before Sirius grasped Mika's exposed ankle, and pulled sharply. The unexpected force caused Mika to slide out of the bed and fall onto the cold floor. Luckily for Mika, she had managed to keep hold of her blanket and pillow on the way down, meaning she could continue her slumber on the floor. Unluckily for Remus, the noise of Mika's body hitting the ground had woken him from his sleep.

"What are you doing?" He muttered into the dark room, he sounded exhausted.

"Oh, you know," Sirius replied, a huge grin plastered on his face, "Just kidnapping young girls in the middle of the night; the usual." He said all this while pulling at Mika's ankle, attempting to free her from the blanket but just managing to pull the blob of bedding around the room. Mika finally decided that she'd had enough and kicked out with her other foot, kicking the Black heir in the gut. Her stumbled back, falling on top of Remus dramatically whilst informing them all of his soon to be death. Remus shoved of the melodramatic boy and clambered out of his bed as James yanked the blanket of his twin, causing her to curl up in a little ball. He prodded her with his foot, watching the girl for any sign of life.

"Leave me alone," She groaned, who in their right mind would get up at this time? What even was the time?

"What's the time?" Mika muttered, hugging her remaining pillow close to her.

"About two in the morning," Sirius chirped, much too cheerfully for anyone who was awake at two in the morning. Mika lifted her head slightly, glared at the annoying boy before curling up again. _Nope, I am not moving at two in the morning. Nothing they can say will make me move._

"Come on Mika, we need to go exploring. We might even find the kitchens!" James always knew how to convince her to do something. _I wish I didn't love food so much. I could be happily sleeping now but no._ Mika slowly uncurled herself and grasped a nearby robe. She couldn't believe that she'd given in that easily. Well, she could, but she was still disappointed in herself. She gave a longing look at her bed, promising it that she would return before exiting the dorm, leaving the three boys behind her. They quickly caught her up, just as she was climbing out of the fat lady.

"Where are we going then?" She questioned them. Because she was in the front, she never noticed the evil grin the two black haired boys shared. If she had spotted the look that passed between them, maybe she wouldn't have agreed to their plan, and maybe the four of them wouldn't have gotten stuck in the same trick step when running from Mrs Norris, and just maybe, she wouldn't have gotten another two weeks of detention and no sleep. But who knows, maybe it wasn't their fault, but how likely was that?

* * *

The day that Mika had been dreading had finally arrived: the day of the full moon. Well, night technically but the day wasn't great either. Remus had woken up, looking really pale with contrasting dark bags under his eyes. He had intense mood swings that Mika could barely keep up with and he didn't concentrate in any lesson, forcing Mika to take carefully organised notes for him. Just after dinner, he had finally given up and gone to the hospital wing, allowing himself some peace and quiet. In that time Mika read yet another book about werewolves, but she still wasn't prepared when the moon rose. Mika had watched from the Gryffindor girl's bedroom window as Remus was led by Madam Pomfrey to the tree, where he was going to transform. She had heard the pitiful howls cut through the cold air, shattering her heart. A tear slid down her cheek as Mika listened to the faint cries of pain coming from the werewolf. And she sat there, watching the moon peek out between clouds at her, mockingly. She sat there until her feet were frozen to the ledge and her fingers were numb. She continued watching for any movement from Remus until the sun rose above the horizon, informing her that it was morning again. She waited until she saw Madame Pomfrey appear before going down to the hospital wing. She arrived there just after Remus so she sat in a hard, uncomfortable chair nearby and waited. The hospital wing itself was quite nice. It was all white, announcing to the world that it is in fact a hospital. It had huge arch windows on either side of the wing, allowing sunlight in to brighten up the monotone place. There were about forty beds in total Mika assumed. She couldn't see the last one as there was a curtain pulled around it; Mika knew that Remus was in that bed. She also knew that Madame Pomfrey was in there and so would not be allowed to enter until the marten came out; she had a nasty temper when angered apparently. So Mika sat, inhaling the strange smelling potions that were littered around the room and watching the sun climb higher in the sky through the windows. Mika had been sitting for around half hour when Pomfrey finally appeared. Mika stood up quickly and almost fell back down due to head rush. _Maybe I shouldn't have stayed up all night waiting for Remus. I'm meant to be taking notes for him today after all, how am I meant to take notes if I'm asleep in all our lessons?_

"What are you doing here?" Mika started, she had been so drawn into her thoughts that she hadn't noticed Madame Pomfrey looking at her. Mika quickly cleared her throat before gesturing to Remus' bed and asking to see him. The older women looked at the young Potter some more before allowing her inside to see her friend, but only for five minutes. Mika readily agreed; the women did look very strict. So she hurried over to the corner that Remus was in and slid behind the curtain. She was not prepared for the sight that met her. Remus looked as pale as he did yesterday, only today he had white bandages wrapped around his torso like snakes. Red was already seeping through some of them, ruining the innocence of the colour. He was sleeping but not peacefully. He was shaking, even in his sleep and Mika spotted some dried tears on his face. What parts of him that weren't covered in bandaged were stained a purple or black colour; bruises. Mika sat down next to him and held his hand until Pomfrey chased her away. Mika never wanted him to be alone on his transformations again.

* * *

The common room was buzzing with activity. It was mid-day on a Saturday and raining which meant that the majority of people were staying inside the common room. People were chatting, gossiping, crying and arguing all around Mika. The four boys had left to go prank some Slytherin so Mika was alone, reading a book on animagus transformations. She was thinking about trying to become one soon which meant that she needed to memorise the steps. Although it was so loud, it was peaceful. Mika enjoyed the fact that she had some time to sit and read, alone, until Lily Evans came storming in. Since the first day the two hadn't been off to a good start, Lily disliked Mika because of her upbringing as well as her brother. Mika disliked Lily because she was nosey and arrogant. After a couple of days, Lily told on Mika because she wasn't sleeping in the dorm room; Mika didn't get in trouble because she wasn't doing anything against the rules but Lily kicked up a fuss and tried to get Mika a detention anyway. She only managed to get one for herself. At that point, Mika thought that the red head was probably in a new environment, and missing home. So she let it go. Now however, Lily had stormed down the stairs leading to the dorm room, bellowing Mika's last name at the top of her voice. She stood in the stairway; a look of loathing was lurking in her emerald eyes. A grimace was plastered on her face as she spotted Mika. A green robe was hastily thrown on, one that matched her eyes perfectly. Her hair was dripping wet, indicating that she had just gotten out of the shower. But the most eye catching thing about her was the poisonous green hair that had replaced her ginger locks. Mika stifled a laugh at the furious girl, covering her mouth with her hand to attempt to suppress the laughter that was bubbling but inside. But Evans noticed and it didn't help to calm her down.

"Do you think this is funny?" She screeched; some people covered their ears at the high pitched noise. Mika was going to cover her ears as well but decided that it would probably make matter worse. Instead she shook her head, denying her obvious amusement.

"What, of course I don't think this is funny, why would you shouting at me be funny?" The room was silent, everyone watching the two first years, waiting to see the outcome.

"I meant my hair!" Lily practically spat the words out a Mika; if looks could kill Mika knew that she would be dead five times over. So she decided to have a little fun with it, it's not as though she could make it worse.

Mika was wrong. She had made it so much worse by claiming that she saw no difference and maybe Lily should fix her eyesight. Lily stormed at the Potter heir after that comment, but tripped over her bathrobe and fell flat on the floor instead. Her face flushed with embarrassment and anger as she glared at Mika who had started laughing at her fall. Lily knew she couldn't do anything so she ran off to get Professor McGonagall and told her all about how Mika turned her hair green. Mika got a week's worth of detention which she found extremely unfair: she didn't do it. No matter how many times she told McGonagall the teacher still didn't believe her! That resulted in Mika spending her time in detention, plotting how to get the stuck-up red-head back. And this time, Mika wouldn't get caught.

* * *

The days had flown by and before Mika knew it, another full moon had arrived. Remus had gone through the same pre-moon symptoms as last moon; James, Sirius and the rat had failed to notice anything was amiss once again. Remus left to go to the hospital wing just after dinner, repeating the same routine that he did last time. Mika watched him go to the willow, but she slept in his bed instead of peering through the window the entire night. When the sun rose and the birds started to chirp, Mika ungracefully rolled out of bed and onto the floor. Her alarm was blaring in her ear, shocking her awake and making her hate the blasted noise. _Why did I even set an alarm, it's Saturday. I should be sleeping. Wait, Remus isn't here. Crap!_ She scrambled to her feet, grabbing her robe of the back of a chair and pulling it on as she rushed out the door. She ran the first few seconds of the route to the infirmary until running out of breath, stopping for a break and walking the rest of the way. Once Mika had reached the hospital wing Madame Pomfrey had already gotten Remus in the farthest bed from the door with the curtain pulled round, so Mika took a seat and waited. The youngest Potter was looking around the hospital, counting the amount of tiles on the floor in boredom when Pomfrey emerged from the end bed. Mika immediately stood up and began to confidently walk down the wing. When Madame Pomfrey spotted her she nodded her head, allowing Mika to visit her friend. Mika was warned that Remus was awake this time, so she had to be careful not to upset him in any way. This meant that instead of striding into his corner, Mika hesitantly peeked around the curtain, disturbing Remus from his thoughts by asking his permission to enter. At her voice, the werewolf jumped, his eyebrows shot into his hairline and he opened his mouth in surprise as he looked at her. His expression quickly warped into one of fear as he realised that his new friend could find out his condition. He didn't say no though. Mika watched as he took a deep breath, pulled the covers up to cover the bandages and invite her in. She gave him an easy smile as she sashayed inside and perched on the uncomfortable chair from last time.

"How are you feeling?" Remus looked away and shrugged, Mika expected that. He wasn't going to tell her how much agony he was in, or the fact that he hated his illness that he was unwillingly given. Mika let out a small sigh, although she had expected that answer, it would have still been nice to get the truth. But she nodded encouragingly, and grabbed in hand in comfort before chatting away happily about everything he missed last night and pulling him into a game of exploding snap. Mika tried to ignore how he flinched when she grabbed his hand and never quite looked her in the eye when he talked. But she tried to stay cheery, stay encouraging. One day he would feel safe with her there, but that was not today.

* * *

Halloween had rolled around, like it does every year. Normally, Mika Jamie and their dad would be caught up in the middle of a prank war in Potter manor. Everyone had to be careful where you stepped and nowhere was safe from the pranks. Their mom claimed that she hated it but they all knew that she secretly loved the childish antics that filled the house on October 31st. That could be why Mika was feeling so down. She was homesick. The four boys were happily planning a prank, sitting on their beds and throwing ideas at each other; normally Mika loved doing that. But it just felt different. A logical part of Mika's brain told herself that the discomfort could be because her brother was meant to die on this day a few years in the future but she shoved the stray thought out of her mind. _He won't die; I've got years to change things._ So she mustered up a smile and began to input prank ideas. They had decided that this prank had to top all previous ones that they had done. It had to be spectacular; it had to be something new.

The Halloween feast was amazing; all the food that you could ever imagine was decoratively spread across the table, enticing the children to eat just a bit more. It was a bit over half way through the festive event when they decided to strike. Dinner had just left the table and dessert was expected to be in the next few minutes, it was perfect. Sirius waved his wand under the table and muttered a few words as quietly as he could, it took a couple of tries but eventually the charm took. A grey fog appeared, consuming the whole hall. Silence rang out across the room as James mumbled his own spell, this one working on the first go. And after that, the screaming began. People crying out that _it_ got them! They felt _it_ trying to kill them. People claimed that it was some form of magical creature that Mika had never even heard of. Remus was grinning wildly, not the Mika could see him through the mist, when he cast his spell. Only seconds afterwards, Dumbledore expelled the mist, clearing the room so everyone could see again. It was chaos; people had jumped onto tables, jumped onto other people to escape 'the danger'. Even some of the most calm and collected seventh year Slytherins were looking a bit distressed. And what was causing that distress? Ducklings. Little baby ducks littered the room, hundreds of them wandering around the hall. They were adorable. All of them were so small and fluffy: completely harmless. Mika stifled a laugh as she watched a duck quack at a second year that trembled in response. Maybe not everyone thought they were harmless. As the shock was dissipating, Mika quickly cast her charm before hiding her wand away. A sob rang through the room as a fourth year girl began to cry, she had only just realised that she, like everyone else in the room, was dressed like a duck. Yellow feathers in their hair, a beak instead of lips and a duck costume decorating first years to teachers. Mika exchanged a look with Sirius before bursting into laughter, Jamie and Remus quickly joining in. Remus's spell had worked better then they hoped; the beaks were real. Professor McGonagall raised her wand, ready to dispel the mess that the four first years had caused while the four troublemakers looked on in anticipation. It was time to see if Mika's spell worked. As Professor McGonagall waved her wand, she did not remove all trace of ducks, as she wanted to. Instead, a small ball formed at the end, growing and twisting until it too turned into a small fluffy duckling that joined the hoard of duck. The look of horror on her face caused the rest of the school to join in the laughter. Who didn't love ducks?

* * *

"For heaven's sake be quiet!" Mika looked over her shoulder, and glared at the four boys following in her footsteps, loudly. "We're not meant to be here and if you keep that up then we'll get caught." Jamie rolled her eyes at her, causing Mika to feel more uneasy.

"No one's here, we'll be fine." She disagreed with his statement but dropped it as she stepped over a log. The path was bathed in moonlight, the only light other than their wands. Trees stared down threateningly at the five eleven year olds and the leaves rustled at them in warning. The forbidden forest was just that; forbidden. That meant that it couldn't be explored in the day without them getting caught, but Mika was starting to think that getting caught was better than getting killed.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Mika grimaced at the whining that came from the rat; she couldn't believe that he had wanted to come.

"We exploring." Sirius replied, leaping up on a rock and miming looking around to demonstrate how they were exploring. A smile tugged at the corners on Mika's mouth as she watched him have fun. Maybe the forest wasn't so bad. She pushed a low hanging branch out the way as she trudged through the mud and discovered; more trees. _Great! Who doesn't love trees?_ Mika paused for a second, when had her thoughts turned sarcastic? She decided that it didn't matter, only she could hear her thoughts and if she wanted to be sarcastic then she could! She nodded slightly, it only seemed right before spinning back around at her brothers voice. She took a step back and her foot hit a branch, causing her leg to swing up. She overbalanced, trying to grab hold of with her hands as her torso fell backwards into a dark abyss. Fear pounded through her veins as a scream was ripped from her throat and she landed on sloped ground, rolling away from the group. Her hands flew over her head protectively as she spun round and round, twisting and struggling as she bumped over sticks and rocks. She was getting faster, it was too steep to slow down so Mika just tried to make herself as small as possible. It stopped as quickly as it started. She had fallen into a small ditch at the bottom of a very steep hill that has gone unobserved until now. Jamie's shouts filled her ears as she regained her bearings; he wanted to know where she had gone.

"I'm down here." She called up as she unsteadily climbed to her feet. Mika grasped a tree that was next to her, using the trunk to pull herself up and figure out where she had gone. She looked around and her breath caught in her throat. It was beautiful. She had fallen into a clearing that had steep hills on each side, secluding it from the outside world with the help of colourful, exotic trees. Flowers of every colour bloomed from the earth, seemingly ignorant that it wasn't the right season for them to be growing. A lake was in the centre of the clearing, practically silver in the moonlight and looking like magic itself. In the middle of the lake there was a small island, a willow tree was in the middle of the island. Not an angry willow like the one Remus used, no, a gentle tree that swayed peacefully in the wind. And sitting under that tree was a family of unicorns. The one that she assumed to be the father unicorn stood closest to her side of the island, examining Mika, evaluating her. His stance seemed to be much more wary than the mother unicorn who was staring at Mika in a way that filled her with calmness and contentment. Mika's eyes were quickly drawn to the two baby unicorns that were playing happily; running at each other and diving out of the way of their sibling. Mika was broken out of her trace like admiration when she heard Sirius call out for her, jolting her out into the real world. She looked at the perfect creatures once more before climbing up, out of the ditch that she was in and heading back to the castle with the anxious boys. Mika never did give a straight answer when asked what she saw done there. She needed a haven.

* * *

Mika, Alice and the boys were trekking through the castle in their heavy fur coats and snow boots. They had all returned to Hogwarts earlier that day, previously being away for the Christmas holidays. Sirius had been invited to stay for the holiday at the Potters which he happily did. Remus and Peter had also been asked but Remus couldn't stay for 'health issues' which was code for being a werewolf and Peter had to go home to see his family. That meant that the twins got to see their parents again, after months away, and Sirius got the first decent Christmas he had ever had. It also meant that it was the perfect time for a snowball fight. The snow hadn't begun to melt yet and class hadn't started up, so Sirius proposed that they have a battle. They had all agreed, grabbing Alice to even out the numbers and headed to the front gates. Mika reached the heavy engraved doors first and pushed them open, allowing the cold wind to swoop into the castle and steal the warmth. She immediately rushed off to the left, her two team mates (Remus and Sirius) chasing after her as the opposite team went in the other direction. They quickly found a spot full of snow and began building a snow fort. In the end it was only really Remus building it: Sirius was too busy making snowballs and occasionally throwing them at Mika or Remus. Remus would just carry on building however when Mika got hit by a snowball (which was quite often) she would throw a couple back and glare at the Black heir before helping Remus again. Luckily for them, the enemy team didn't seem very hasty either so Remus managed to complete the slightly wonky, and very unstable looking snow fort. It was shaped like a basic igloo, a small hole carved out on one side so they could get it and a dome roof. Mika was quite impressed with it, she ignored the lumps of snow that were on the roof and the magic that was obviously holding it up and squeezed inside. They could all just about fit inside; one of them having to lie across the other two so they wouldn't fall out the front door. In the end they decided that the fort would be the last defence. Sirius took that to mean that they were going on the offensive. He grabbed his many snowball and let out a warrior cry as he ran off into the distance. He got about twenty feet before his leg got stick in a mound of snow and he fell flat on his face. To add insult to injury, as he was falling he threw his arms in the arm in an unsuccessful attempt to steady himself. This meant that all of the snowballs that he was carrying flew high into the air, before raining down on his fallen form. Mika and Remus could only watch in silence as about thirteen snowballs showered down on their teammate. They were screwed.

About two hours later, after a long drawn out battle, Mika's team did in fact lose. Remus and Mika blamed Sirius so they shoved him into the igloo and collapsed it on him. They then went to get a hot chocolate and warm up, leaving him to scramble out of the pile of snow and catch up eventually.

* * *

It was ten minutes until curfew, and Mika had only just noticed. She had been curled up in a corner for the past three hours, researching more on the animagus transformation. The mandrake leaf had been placed in her mouth two weeks ago; a sticking charm was used to keep it in place. It was part of the first step, a month of a mandrake leaf and them the rest of a very long, tedious process. Mika was going over the process again, knowing that if she messed up one step then she would have to redo everything from the beginning. Although her memory was superior to most, it still wasn't flawless. That meant that she could make and mistake and Mika hated mistakes. Because of her dedication to the boring book, she had remained ignorant of the time which resulted in her rushing through the corridors to reach her common room. She was running around a corner, books held tightly in her grasp and book bag thrown over a shoulder when she crashed into something hard and was thrown roughly to the ground. He books went skidding across the floor as her head banged against the stone ground. Mika lay on the ground for a few seconds; her brain whirling to catch up with what just happened.

"You stupid Blood-traitor, watch where you're going," Mika groaned as she recognised that voice. Severus Snape: the only person in whole the school that her brother couldn't stand. Mika struggled to her feet under his hateful eyes. Her head was ringing as she clung to the wall in the hopes that it would keep her upright. Once she was upright she noticed that he had two other Slytherins backing him and Mika realised that she didn't know nor care who they were. She glared at Snape at the hateful language before searching for her lost book. Deep down, she pitied the boy. Mika knew that her brother was unnaturally cruel to him; Snape wasn't innocent but most of the time he was targeted first. But Mika ignored it, she just left with Alice when the boys began to bully Snape and Mika did nothing.

"I'm sorry," She began, feeling sorrow bubble up inside her for her actions. _Just because you look like an eleven year old doesn't mean you have to act like one._ Snape opened his mouth, likely to spit some insult at her but Mika carried on. "I should have stopped Jamie and the others more. By abstaining I'm still in the wrong and I shouldn't have let them be mean to you." Snape had shut up now; he looked thoughtful as the two goons behind him exchanged amused looks.

"Come on Snape, she's just trying to manipulate you into letting her go." One of them had said, proving to Mika that he was as dumb as he looked.

"Yeah, let's hex her." Mika suddenly decided that the other goon was dumber, what idiot announced that he was going to hex someone? Mika extracted her wand from her holster in defence, causing Snape to do the same as well as the two behind him. Before Mika was forced to do anything Professor Slughorn rounded the corner, whistling to himself as he came closer. He suddenly seemed to spot the four of them, oblivious of what he interrupted as he walked up to them.

"You've only got a few minutes before curfew, better hurry." Mika nodded in agreement, pushing off the wall and quickly gathering her book up in her arms. As she hurried down the corridor she didn't notice how Snape's eyes had lingered on the title of her book. She also didn't notice the victorious glint in them at discovering that she was reading an advanced transfiguration book. He was curious; after all, what normal eleven year old is studying master's level transfiguration.

* * *

It was the final full moon of the year. Remus had gone to the hospital wing after dinner as usual and Mika watched the moon rise, looking over him as he was lead to the passage to the shrieking shack and left there by Madame Pomfrey. The two of them had gotten into a routine over the past year. Every morning, Mika would meet him once Madame Pomfrey left and chat to him until fatigue overtook him. She had never once questioned him about why he was there, and she could tell that Remus was grateful for that. Mika could sense that Sirius and Jamie were getting suspicious, no longer fooled by Remus's weak excuses of the flu or stomach pains. That is why Mika decided to tell Remus that she knew what he was in the morning. It was the last time that she could tell him without bringing it up out of the blue and before long Sirius and Jamie were going to catch on, tell Pettigrew, and confront Remus. Mika was certain that Remus wouldn't handle being confronted well by them all so her plan was to do it first, and try to make him understand that she didn't care. So in the morning, she got out of bed when the sun rose, got dressed, and marched to the hospital wing with purpose. She slipped in the door, sitting in her normal spot until Madame Pomfrey waved her over like normal. Mika approached the curtain uneasily. Mika slid into Remus' space and gave him a weak smile in response to his grin. She sat on the edge of her chair and held his hand, watching as he seemed to realise that something was wrong. Just as he opened his mouth to speak Mika came out with it.

"I know you're a werewolf." She instantly winced as Remus flinched back, ripping his hand from her grasp and inched away from her. _Nice going Mika, you didn't have to be so blunt._ Mika was about to apologise and maybe give the poor boy some more context when he started babbling nonsense.

"I'm so sorry - I know I'm a monster and you must be disgusted-" tears were running down his face as Mika harshly cut in, ruining his rant fuelled by self hatred

"No. No! You're not a monster and I'm not disgusted by you. How could I be? You're my best friend." Remus didn't look convinced so Mika leant over; wrapping him in the biggest hug she could muster whilst still being wary of his injuries.

"You're not a monster. You're my best friend." And they sat there for an hour, Remus crying into Mika's shoulder, for the first time in his life, he was accepted by a friend for what he was.

* * *

The year had drawn to a close. Mika was sat next to Alice and Remus in the great hall. They were listening to Dumbledore speak about things that they deemed unimportant. The whole hall was decked out in Ravenclaw colours. They had won the house point competition; scoring over a hundred more than any other houses. That meant that blue and bronze banners fell from above every table. Slytherin had won the Quidditch cup which caused Jamie to swear that when he was on the team, Gryffindor would win. They were all sat happily, Sirius and Jamie chatting about Quidditch next year with Pettigrew occasionally chipping into their conversation. Alice and Remus were discussing what was better; Herbology or Defence against the Dark Arts. Mika personally thought the latter although Alice was putting up quite a convincing argument. What was Mika doing? She was just sitting quietly, letting the noise wash over her as she examined the hall that she had eaten in for the past year. She watched the chaos that was Hogwarts in its normal state. She loved it. Then, quick as a flash she extracted her wand, mumbled a spell before hiding her wand away again. Fireworks sprung from every corner of the hall. A few people screamed at the sudden noise before settling down to watch the brightly coloured show. The fireworks twisted themselves into different pictures, memorable things that had occurred over the year. Some people trembled when a little fluffy duck appeared before dissipating. To end the display, the colours morphed into two words. The Marauders. The five of them had been 'borrowing' food from the kitchens that they had found early in the year. Professor McGonagall had spotted them on their outing, calling them the marauders before sighing and walking away. The name had stuck.

Mika was watching the train pull up into the station. She could see all of the parents and sibling already there, waiting for their lost family member to return. Mika couldn't spot her parents in the sea of people but knew that they were there. She then turned around to look at her friends. They had all changed so much during the year. They didn't seem to mature but they all changed somehow, even if it wasn't that noticeable. Alice wasn't in their shared compartment anymore, she had left some time in the journey to say goodbye to other friends. Soon after Alice left, Lily Evans stormed, in she shouted at Mika for cheating on her end of year test results for a while before leaving them alone again. So now it was just the marauders. And after that, it would just be Mika and Jamie again, but only for a little while. So with a heavy heart, Mika said goodbye to all of her friends, making promises that they will visit each other over the holidays, and walked over to her parents. She greeted them cheerily, hugging them both tightly and telling them how much she missed them. As Jamie was hugging their mom, she caught Sirius' eye and exchanged a grin. Next year was going to be great.

 **I had a lot of trouble with this chapter and I'm still not completely happy with how it turned out but I felt like it was time to update. Thank you to everyone who has followed, favourited or reviewed my story, it really means a lot to me.**

 **Stars that listen: Thanks! I hope the updates are more regular** **.**

 **Radio Free Death: Thank you. I will try to take that on board in the future.**

 **Paulaa90: Thank you so much for all of the reviews, I really enjoy reading them. I must admit I do have a plan for Ollivander a bit later on, I'm figuring out how to re-introduce him. With Peter, I'm planning on developing their relationship overtime. Mika is acting like an eleven year old so she doesn't like him and has no reason to but that might change as the years go on. I've always liked the idea that Alice is related to Molly but Molly will probably not be in this story.**

 **IrisDawnDancer: Hopefully I won't ever fully abandon it.**


	5. Second Year

Mika was in her room, lying on her bedroom window, looking out over the gardens. Over the summer Mika had finally decided to decorate her room, never having done so before as she always shared rooms with Jamie. They still did share; it was just nice to have her own space. So between Mika and her mother, they decorated the empty space and the room looked lived in for once. The walls were all light grey apart from one which was painted Gryffindor red with gold swirls in the paint. Against that wall was a grey L sofa: they had decided to get a seat instead of a bed since Mika wouldn't sleep in there. A light brown coffee table was in front of the sofa, a stack of books teetering dangerously on the edge. Pressed against the wall on the right was a desk the same colour as the coffee table, it too had parchment and books strewn across it. A matching wardrobe was in a corner, one of the doors was slightly ajar. Pictures of her friends and family were decorating the walls as well as a few posters and banners. The bay window that Mika was perched in had a red blanket and cushion that she was sitting on. She was wearing a bottle green top paired with black jeans, twiddling her wand absentmindedly in one hand as she looked out the window. Over the past summer she had grown a few inches, now being taller than her twin. Her long black hair had grown slightly, falling down her back like a waterfall. She was staring at the fountain that was in the garden, watching as the droplets flew through the air before splashing back down into the water.

"Mika, what are you doing?" Mika jumped, spinning around as James barged into her room. He had also grown slightly over the past year, but since he was now shorter than Mika it was a bit of a sore subject.

"Nothing," she replied as she stood up gracefully.

"Ok," her twin replied, looking at her strangely. He never understood the beauty of the outside world. "It's time for dinner." A grin suddenly formed on his face as he cried "Race you." As soon as the words left his mouth he sprinted out of the room, Mika right behind him. She ran through the carefully decorated halls as fast as she could, which still wasn't fast enough to win. Jamie shot through the dining room doors a good ten seconds before her. When she stumbled through the door she was gasping for breath and listening to her brother's laughter at her failure. Her mom glared at her for running in the house, apparently Mika should know better. Mika rolled her eyes before taking a seat in her spot. Mika had never really liked the dining room; the walls were a dark wood that had been carved elaborately to portray wealth. An intricate crystal chandelier hung in the centre of the room, sparkling in the sunlight. Along one wall there were multiple large windows with the heavy red velvet curtains tied back. Lining the other walls were display cabinets, showcasing rare objects or awards. The table could sit twenty two people and stretched the length of the room. This was the one room that hadn't been redecorated since the house was made which is why it was so… much.

"Your Hogwarts letters came whilst you were upstairs." Mika's dad brandished two letters with the Hogwarts wax seal, waving them in the air like a prize. Jamie instantly jumped out of his seat, grabbing them both out of his hands. He read the first letter and instantly dismissed it, throwing it in Mika's general direction. Mika swiped it out of the air and ripped it open in anticipation. She didn't have the same excitement as when she got her first letter but still felt anticipation bubble up inside her when reading the equipment list. After memorising what she needed to buy she handed it to her mother.

"We'll be going in a week's time to get your stuff." both twins let out a groan at their mothers words. Mika knew that it was a good idea, there would be a huge crowd in the alley if they went today but Mika felt disappointed nevertheless. Jamie pleaded with their parents for a minute before realising that they weren't going to give in.

"Fine, if we can't go to get our things can we play Quidditch?" Mika rapidly nodded in agreement. Charles let out a laugh before standing up and dramatically offering a hand to his wife. She rolled her eyes at his antics but took the offered hand. The family went out onto the pitch and grabbed a quaffle and their broomsticks. Jamie declared that it was the first to ten goals, the quaffle was chucked into the air and the game began.

* * *

The Potter family arrived on platform 9¾ looking noticeable agitated. They had all woken up early, making sure that they wouldn't miss the train. It started off well, until James announced that he had lost his wand. Then it took an hour of searching the manor until Mika discovered it in his trunk; already packed. After that, they were about to leave but he suddenly realised that he hadn't packed his broomstick. After running to get it and returning to his irritated family they were finally able to leave the house. They flooded to the platform (Mika tripping over her robes like usual) with ten minutes to spare.

"I guess this is it then." Mika turned to look at her dad: she was going to miss him. She ran over to him, almost knocking him over in her eagerness to get a hug. His chest vibrated as he chuckled at her enthusiasm before pulling her closer.

"I'm going to miss you Cookie." he pressed a kiss to her forehead and Mika told him how much she would miss him. She then extracted herself from his hug and turned to her mom, wrapping her in an equally big embrace.

"I'm going to miss you as well." Mika claimed as she held onto her mom. Mika then stepped back and grabbed her trunk. She watched her twin glance around to see if anyone was watching before giving them both quick hugs. Jamie then grabbed his trunk as well, giving then a quick wave before hurrying towards the train. Mika both gave her parents one last quick hug, promising to write to them before picking up the handle of her trunk and rushing after her twin. Sadly for Mika, rushing after someone with a heavy and bulky trunk is harder than it sounds. Considering it sounds quite hard Mika was screwed. She weaved through the crowd, giving apologies out when her trunk hit people's ankles or almost knocked a young child down. She reached the gleaming red train as the final whistle sounded. Her brother was long gone, leaving Mika to quickly pull herself and her luggage onto the train. Once on the busy train, Mika quickly dropped her trunk on the floor, an annoyed sigh escaping her as she shoved her hair away from her face. She pushed her trunk against the wall before sitting down on the solid case. Mika leant back against the wall, crossing her ankles and allowing her eyes to fall shut. Waves of noise washed over her as she tried to get conferrable. Everyone was shouting at their loved ones, wishing them luck and screaming encouragement. The halls were swarming with her classmates, all in search of their friends. Mika leant further back into the hard wall, hoping to escape the chaos. _I'll wait here until the commotion has died down, then I'll go find my friends._ A small smile graced Mika's lips as she imagined all the pranks she could play on her twin to make him pay for ditching her. Time ploughed on, friends being reunited and countryside flying past as Mika's head dropped onto her shoulder, the thoughts of tormenting her brother lulling her into a heavy sleep.

Mika first regained consciousness when she felt a tickling sensation on her nose. She ignored it to begin with, huffing slightly before dismissing it as her imagination. After it didn't stop she lazily waved her hand under her nose, attempting to make the movement end. Finally, once her weak attempts failed, she wrenched open her eyes and glared at what was tickling her. Or who was tickling her. Remus Lupin was crouched in front of her holding a white feather, presumably from an owl. Mika caught his eye and glared at the werewolf. Whilst glaring at him she noted that his hair was slightly longer, looking like it needed to be cut and that he also had a new gash that would surely scar starting from his chin and leading beneath his uniform. After subtly cataloguing his changes Mika decided that he hadn't changed much and was still the same old Remus

"Good to see you're awake," Mika glared at him again, grumbling under her breath when he started laughing at her. She rolled her eyes as she uncrossed her legs, standing up to her full height. Following her lead, Remus also stood up to his full height, displaying his added inches over the summer. Mika crossed her arms as she realised that he was towering over her and she wasn't the tallest anymore. The lanky werewolf rolled his eyes at her behaviour, expecting nothing less from his childish friend. After a few seconds of self-pity, Mika closed the gap between them, embracing her best friend in the biggest hug that she could muster.

"I've missed you." Mika couldn't see the smile that coated Remus' face after she told him that but knew it was there.

"I've missed you too." The two second years separated, Remus taking a step back to re-establish his personal space bubble as Mika gathered up her stuff.

"Do you know where the compartment is?" After Remus told her that he did in fact know where their friends are, the two of them set off in that direction. Remus was carrying Mika's trunk as she chatted to him about her summer. She was telling him all about the pranks that her and her brother pulled, how her parents were, and about her new room. Remus was nodding along happily as he led Mika to their destination. Eventually they reached the compartment; Mika observed that it was the same one that they were in last year as Remus pulled open the door. She stepped into the small room, glaring at her inconsiderate twin as she took a seat next to the Black heir. Remus was pulling her trunk into the compartment as Mika embraced Sirius into a hug. She noticed that his hair had grown longer over the summer and he seemed to be a bit taller but other than that he was the same. They exchanged greeting as Remus lifted her trunk to put it onto the overhead rail. When he took his seat (by the window next to Pettigrew) Mika returned to glaring at her brother.

"I'm sorry, Ok?" Mika rolled her eyes at the prompted apology that sounded less than sincere.

"Sure you are," She muttered, looking out the window. She heard her twin sigh at her behaviour, she was acting slightly childish she supposed but in her defence, she missed the big reunion with her friends. Jamie then stood in front of her and grabbed both her hands.

"Mika, I am very sorry for abandoning you to the crowds. To apologise I offer you the final cauldron cake." He then proceeded to extract a cauldron cake from somewhere and dramatically offer it to her, reminding Mika of their dad with his antics. Mika allowed a smile on her face, taking the cake from his hand to let him know that they were ok.

"Well- now that crisis is averted, what pranks are we going to play this year?" Mika smiled at how easily Sirius changed the subject and allowed herself to be swept away in the relaxed conversation. It was good to be surrounded by her friends again.

* * *

The first few weeks back at Hogwarts flew by. The welcome feast was as grand as Mika remembered it; all of the new first years were sorted without any surprises. The most notable thing was Sirius' little brother being sorted into Slytherin but that was quickly forgotten. Classes started way too quickly for Mika's liking. The teachers seemed to be going harder on the second years. Now that they all knew the basics of magic they were expected to learn new spells much quicker, which meant more homework. It wasn't all bad, the extra homework allowed Mika to spend more time with Alice; over the summer they had constantly sent letters to each other and Mika swore that she was going to spend more time with Alice this year. The library was a great place to do that. Because of the added course load and the readjusting to Hogwarts again, Mika hadn't run into Lily or Marlene yet this year. Sure she had seen both girls in passing but they hadn't had time to exchange pleasantries or, in their case, insults. Sadly the peaceful settling in period had to end at some point. That point was one afternoon when Mika was looking for one of her books. She was in the girl's dorm room, searching through her chest of draws looking for a book on transfiguration from the Potters library. Her normally tidy bed had books and parchment scattered all over it. Her clothes were strewn across the floor, causing the whole room to look like a bombsite. Mika flopped on the end of her bed in defeat. She shoved her face into her hands and groaned, how could she have lost the book? It had been written by one of her ancestors and had been kept in the Potter family for generations and she had lost it. Her parents had told her to be careful with it, explaining that they were putting a lot of trust in her by letting her take it to Hogwarts. Mika had readily agreed, wanting to prove that she was ready for responsibility. But she wasn't. She'd already misplaced the one thing that she was meant to keep safe, and she had no idea where it could be. It couldn't be in the boy's dorm because she never took books in there for fear of damage. And it wouldn't be in the library because she hadn't read it yet. Mika supressed tears as she heard the door open. The angry shriek that followed informed Mika that it was Lily that had stumbled across the mess that she had made. She sighed in exasperation. This really wasn't the best time to have her reunion with Lily.

"What have you done to our dorm?" Mika flinched at Lily's yell that was way too loud and way too close. She glanced up from her hands, hoping that her face wasn't red when she spotted the enraged red head that was standing in the centre of the chaos with her arms crossed and a glare on her flushed face. Mika let out another sigh, dropping one arm to her side while the other one pushed the hair out of her face.

"Look, I'm sorry ok. I've lost a really important book and I can't find it so can you shout at me later?" Mika proceeded to stand up, nodding at Marlene who was standing awkwardly in the doorway as she made her way to her bookshelf. She was aware of Lily moving behind her as Mika silently read the title of the books on her shelf. She knew that the book wasn't on the shelf; it wasn't on the shelf the first five times that she read all of the titles and wouldn't be for the sixth time either.

"What book is it?" Marlene had asked the question. Out of the two of them she would understand how much trouble Mika could get into if she lost the wrong book. She was a pureblood as well after all.

"It's a book on transfiguration written by my ancestors. It's been in my family for generation." Marlene nodded sympathetically reminding Mika why she didn't mind Marlene. She was a nice girl, just friends with someone who loathed Mika. Said person who loathed Mika was currently shifting from foot to foot, fiddling with her wand looking as guilty as ever. Mika fixed Lily with a questioning stare as she looked anywhere but at Mika.

"I may have… borrowed a book off you a week ago." Mika looked at the red head in shock and Marlene's jaw dropped. Lily continued to state excuses, becoming more and more definite as she spoke. Mika just watched as the girl stood up straighter and justified herself for stealing Mika's property. "-to be honest, it only fair that I got to read it. I mean, I'm a muggleborn and since I don't have any of my own books, you should be offering yours to me. It's equality after all." Mika just stared at the girl, gobsmacked by the fact that she somehow convinced herself that she was in the right. A stunned silence stayed in the room for a few minutes, Lily looking very proud of herself whilst Mika and Marlene were trying to figure out what had just happened.

"Lily," Marlene had cautiously broken the silence but looked like she regretted her decision, "It sounds like a Potter book. Only Potters should be allowed to read it unless specifically told otherwise." Marlene was right of course. A book found only in a houses' library was only for that house. It was written by a Potter, it was kept by the Potters and any pureblood would know how inappropriate it was to read the book.

"Well, I think that's a stupid rule." Lily sniffed indignantly. She then turned to look at Mika condescendingly "Please make sure that the room's clean before I return." She then proceeded to extract the book from her desk draw, place it on Mika's bed and strut out the room, head held high. Marlene looked helplessly at Mika before running out after her, not wanting to anger the fiery red head any more. Mika watched them go before sitting on her bed, holding onto the book tightly and still in astonishment of what just happened. _Well. I defiantly need to learn how to ward my books._ So the young Potter heiress wrote to her parents about sending her some books about warding spells, making sure that it wasn't another Potter only book. An evil grin appeared on the young girls face; next time someone tried to take her property without her permission they would get a nasty shock.

* * *

Mika and the boys were all strolling towards the Quidditch pitch. Mika, Jamie and Sirius all had their Quidditch gear on and held broomsticks, ready to try out for the team. Mika and her twin were both trying out for chaser positions whilst Sirius wanted to get the beater position. The three of them had varying amounts of nerves. Sirius had the most, having the least practice with bludgers and only one beater spot was available on the team. Mika was next, feeling nervous that someone would be better than her and take her spot with Jamie. Jamie, whilst still being worried wasn't too bad as his arrogance filled him with confidence. So the three of them entered the pitch, Remus and Peter going to sit in the stands for good luck, and joined the swarm of people trying out for the team. The three of them idly made conversation for a while, waiting for the captain to turn up. Once he did, try outs started. To begin with it was easy. Everyone who was trying out had to fly five laps around the pitch which the three of them did easily. After that he split up the group of hopeful applicants into the positions, everyone who wanted the beater position in one group and everyone trying out for the chaser ones in the other. Mika noted that the beater group was smaller; having only about ten people to her groups twenty. The captain might have spotted that as well which is why he decided to start with that group. One by one, he paired up an applicant with the current beater and told them to defend the team. The seeker, chaser, and keeper were all in the air looking grim. Clearly they didn't seem keen on the plan. Each beater got five minutes to see how many bludgers they could hit away from the team with the help of the other beater. Sirius went first since his last name was Black and it was conducted in alphabetical order. He flew gracefully, acting as though he was born to fly. When the whole team were up, the bludgers were released. The team were flying about, all portraying a game situation and Sirius did the best to circle round them, much like the other beater was doing. Mika flinched the first time he dove for a bludger, sure it was going to hit him but instead he batted it away effortlessly. The first success seemed to help him gain confidence, causing him to hit the next three easily. After the whole five minutes, the captain blew the whistle and Sirius landed, looking quite tired but pleased. He had hit 13 and none of the team had gotten hit. The next few people who went were fine, none of them reaching Sirius' score. One noticeable person didn't manage hit a single Bludger, allowing the majority of the team to get hit and finally ending it when getting hit in the face by one himself. Sirius was clearly winning, until the final player came along. He was darting everywhere, protecting the team happily and showcasing his skill. He was on his forth minute, beating Sirius' score by one when he met his downfall. He darted in front of the other beater, obviously planning on getting all the points possible. Unluckily for him, on his backswing he hit his fellow beater in the face with his bat. He swung his head round after the contact in surprise, not prepared for the bludger to hit him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Mika thought that he could have still gotten the place, if he hadn't started shouting at the fellow beater for being in his way that is. The captain wasn't accepting that sort of attitude and shouted at the applicant until he stormed off. Mika glanced at Sirius who had a huge grin on his face, knowing that he got his spot. She caught his eye, giving him a thumbs up and mouthing 'well done'. He beamed at her before mouthing back 'good luck'. She flashed him a smile before facing the captain. He instructed them all to pair up with who they worked best with, telling them that they would work together with the current chaser and see who could score the most goals with the keeper defending in five minutes. Mika and Jamie obviously paired up and then waited. It took a few minutes for everyone to be paired and then they were off. The first pair were good, but didn't include the current chaser, only working in a pair and getting disqualified. The next two were atrocious; they kept on chatting instead of playing the sport. It continued with different people with varying ability until it got to Mika's and Jamie's go. The two of them got on their brooms when their names had been called, kicking off and joining the current chaser. Mika flashed the chaser, a third year girl, a smile before listening out of the whistle. Once it had gone, she immediately flew forwards, on the side of the current chaser who had the ball whilst her brother was on the girls other side. The three of them passed the ball between them with ease, the keeper only managed to save three of their throws throughout the whole game. When the twins landed, Mika grabbed her brother into a hug, jumping up and down and squealing in joy. He laughed at her obvious excitement, choosing not to remind her that they hadn't gotten the position yet. Only three more teams went after them, and just from watching Jamie and Mika could tell that they had gotten the spot. When the captain gathered everyone round at the end and announced that Jamie and Mika had gotten the spot, as well as Sirius. Well let's just say that Mika wasn't the only one that squealed in excitement that time.

* * *

Mika was wondering through the halls of Hogwarts, taking her time to regard the architecture that went into building the castle. She was admiring the elaborate carvings on the ceilings, the paintings that were hung on the wall; all of them painted in excruciating detail. She counted the lamps that lined the walls and the windows that sat opposite them. She skipped up the staircase, her long black hair flowing behind her as she did so. It was a Saturday afternoon after a full moon; Mika had just spent the whole morning with Remus in the hospital wing. She supposed that she ought not to be in such a good mood, she had just visited her injured friend after all. But that injured friend was much better than he usually. He was sitting up and chatting almost immediately, signalling the less vicious than usual night that he'd had. While Mika still hated the fact that he was in any pain, it was still less pain than usual which had caused her good mood. She reached the portrait hole, practically singing the password to the fat lady in glee. Mika climbed inside to her common room, waving at Alice who was chatting happily to some of her other friends as she crossed the common room. She ascended the stairs to the boy's dorm room and as she reached for the door handle her good mood shattered.

"-something's wrong, that's for certain," Sirius's voice travelled through the wooden door, causing Mika to stop in her tracks.

"Why don't we just ask him?" Pettigrew whimpered. A frown marred Mika's face, confusion overtaking her. Ignoring their privacy she knelt down and spied through the key hole. Sirius was pacing the room quickly. A hand was running through his hair as he walked from one side to another and his jaw was clenched, face slightly flushed. Pettigrew was sitting at the head of his bed, shrinking back into the pillows and hunching down on himself. He was trembling slightly and his eyes were darting everywhere, examining his surroundings. Mika's gaze finally landed on her brother. He was sitting at the end of his bed, feet hanging of the edge as he looked down at his lap. His hands were fiddling with his Quidditch jersey as his friend stomped across the room.

"We can't just ask him Peter. Imagine how that will go down: Oi, Remus are you a werewolf? Oh, yes, why did you ask-" Mika felt the air leave her lungs, her hand flew up to her mouth to stifle her surprised gasp.

"Stop it!" Jamie was up, cutting Sirius off from his rant as he rose to his feet. "We don't know anything and we won't know anything until we talk to Remus."

"Or your sister," Mika turned her eyes to Sirius who, like her brother did only seconds ago, cut his best friend off. "She obviously knows something otherwise she would be here, wondering what's happening instead of out there with him." Rage flashed through her brother's eyes as Sirius pointed at the door harshly, indicating that Mika was somewhere in the castle with Remus, and he wasn't exactly wrong. Mika was sure that he was about to say something else when the rat spoke up again.

"What if he is a werewolf? We need to tell Dumbledore. Mika could be one too! They're dangerous and disgusting and-"

"Mika is not a werewolf!" Jamie was almost shouting at the blond boy, Mika could that he was experiencing the same amount of anger that she was: he was practically shaking with fury. "Stop insisting that she's done something wrong; both of you." He glared at them both, trying to convey his point as best he could when Mika had enough. She quickly rose from her crouched position and wrenched open the door, allowing it to slam again the wall. All three of the boys spun around and faced her, eyes wide and mouths open. Sirius even had his wand pointed at her in surprise. Mika quickly caught Pettigrew's eyes and stormed towards him.

"How dare you!" She hissed at the terrified boy, stalking towards him like she was a predator and he was her prey. "How dare you say those horrid things about werewolves when you probably don't know a thing about them." Mika heard her brother's voice telling her to stop but it sounded like it was miles away. "If you bothered to pick up a bloody book then you would realise that werewolves aren't disgusting, and they are not even dangerous most of the time. But no- it doesn't matter does it? Nope, you've already deemed them dangerous. Disgusting." Mika was barely aware that she was yelling, but found that she didn't care. "You're so fucking prejudiced that you won't even change your view for one of your best friends!"

"Mika, that's enough!" Her brother's roar didn't drown out her own screams. But then he was pulling her away from the traitor, pushing her wand that had been pointing at Pettigrew's face to the ground. She hadn't even realised that she had gotten it out.

"That's enough." He repeated, his voice coming out little more than a whisper as he pulled her into a hug. Mika let herself sink into his embrace, shaking in his arms as she wept. She hadn't noticed the warm, salty tears running down her face until she was in his arms. The two of them sunk to the ground. Mika's loud sobs were the only sound piercing the deadly silence.

The four of them stayed like that for a while. Mika had no idea how long they remained silent: allowing her to stop crying and calm herself. Once her breathing had evened out and her death grip on her brother loosened slightly did Jamie speak; breaking the silence.

"Mika, is Remus a werewolf?" Mika screwed her eyes shut, not looking up from his shirt that was damp from her tears. She couldn't be the one to confirm it. Her breakdown pretty much already did but she couldn't do more damage to the situation. She wouldn't. After a few moments without her moving, Sirius spoke up.

"Let's just all talk to Remus. He'll tell us the truth." Mika could feel that Jamie looked down at her; silently asking her if that was what she wanted to do. She nodded slightly before unlatching herself from him. She stood up shakily, fatigue overwhelming her because of her late night worrying about Remus and the recent emotional upheave. Her twin also stood up, wrapping an arm around her protectively. Sirius led the way, the twins following him through the complex halls of Hogwarts with Pettigrew snivelling at the back. This time Mika didn't stop to admire the beauty of Hogwarts as she passed through, she just kept her head down and stayed snuggled into the crook of her brother's arm. The walk to the Hospital Wing felt like an eternity for all of them. But it was still way too soon for Mika when they reached the heavy wooden doors that hid Remus from the outside world. Without hesitation Sirius yanked the door open, revealing the pristine hallway that they had all been to many times. The Black heir didn't stop for a second, continuing down the room to the bed at the end with a curtain pulled round. He reached his destination and slipped round the floral patterned screen. Mika and Jamie emerged from the drape only a second later, allowing Mika to view the look of pure horror on Remus' face. She separated from her brother, crossing the distance between them and the bed in a few short paces. She clambered onto the lumpy bed and nestled into Remus' side. She attempted to be wary of his scratches and was pleased to realise that he held her close, accepting the human contact. Once Mika was conferrable and Pettigrew had entered the curtained off area, Sirius decided to jump right in.

"You're a werewolf." Mika felt Remus flinch violently at the statement which turned into him shaking with fear. She couldn't see his face but knew that the surprise written on it would only last a second and would soon melt into a look of fear, disgust and self-loathing. Mika knew the look all too well, having witnessed it when she told him that she knew his secret. Mika was drawn out of her thoughts to notice that silence hung in the air again: the three boys waiting for Remus to speak and Remus waiting for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

"I-I suppose I should pack my bags then," Mika glared at the three boys, wishing that they would say something comforting for once. Thankfully, her normally ignorant brother got the hint.

"Why on earth should you pack your bags?" Although it wasn't that comforting, it still broke the ugly hush once more.

"B-because I'm a monster, I'm terrifying and-" All heads then swivelled to the Black heir who had begun laughing heavily. Mika though that he was trying to say something but every time he opened his mouth and looked at Remus, more laughter poured out. Mika and her brother exchanged a look as the boy bent over, hands on his knees trying to keep in his mirth. Finally he looked up and wiped his eyes that had become damp with tear of glee.

"You fold your socks mate; forgive me if I'm not quaking at the sight of you." Mika's eyes rolled at his wording but happiness bubbled up inside of her. This was what Remus needed to hear. "As for you being a monster, well, I'm a Black. I've met real monsters in my family who would laugh at your furry little problem before killing you in hundreds of different ways. You're not a monster." Sirius mumbled the last sentence but he had gotten his point across. Remus had tears in his eyes and Mika was annoyed to say that she also had tears running down her face as well; stupid hormones.

"Honestly mate, that fact that you thought that we'd what? Reject you for being a werewolf. It's hurtful." Pettigrew was hastily nodding in the background, awkwardly muttering something about how they'd never reject Remus. The five of them came together in an awkward hug, holding onto each other and sealing their friendship for the following years. They didn't spot Madame Pomfrey come up behind them and get suspiciously wet eyed at the scene. They did hear her though when she shouted at them all to get out though. No matter how moved she was, she was sticking her rules and it wasn't visiting hours. So the five of them ended their hug, promising to come back and see him later. The look of pure joy on Remus' face was one that Mika wouldn't forget anytime soon. As they were walking through the hospital wing; Mika was practically gliding with how weightless she felt. She didn't have to worry about Remus' secret anymore.

"So how long have you known about Remus?" Mika was about to answer her brothers question when Sirius chipped in.

"Are we all just forgetting that Mika swore at Peter?" Mika's head turned towards him so quickly that it almost gave her whiplash. She glared at the mischievous grin that he gave her before continuing, "We've all figured out that she's been keeping this a secret from us, but Mika swore. That's something to be mentioned." Mika could feel that scowl that her brother was fixing her with, she could practically sense the incoming lecture about swearing. But she found that she didn't mind. Remus was happy, he felt accepted. And if she got a two hour lecture from her brother who cared? It was a good day.

* * *

After discovering that Remus was a werewolf, Sirius declared that they had to do a celebratory prank. Mika personally thought that he just wanted an excuse to prank the school but she wasn't planning on questioning him on his motives, especially when both Remus and Jamie seemed on board with the idea. That resulted in the four of them planning late into the night, deciding on what to do the following week. Mika had jokingly suggested that maybe they should do something animal related, because Remus turned into an animal every month. Sadly, Sirius seemed to love her idea, forcing the rest of them to go along with it. That was why Mika was waiting outside the great hall with over a hundred kneazels, ready to charge in during the feast. Mika had no idea how Sirius could afford to buy that many kneazels and had even less of a clue on how he snuck them into the castle unnoticed. But he had done it, and now it was Mika's job to lead an army of cats into the great hall and demand Dumbledore to stop giving out homework for dramatics. _Why do I always get the bad jobs?_ She was beginning to get impatient when she heard her brother shout.

"If you won't stop giving us homework, then I'll make you stop giving us homework!" Mika cringed slightly. Sirius and Jamie had come up with a script for them all to say and their way with words was… childish. But it was still too late to back out now so Mika waved her wand, casting a spell that would cause the grand doors to slam open dramatically. All of the cats ran in, the cat nip that they had strategically placed around the great hall earlier worked perfectly in dispersing the large amount of felines. Mika then ran up to the front of the hall (which was a longer run than you'd expect); she extracted a realistic looking fake sword (that Sirius had supplied her with which meant that she wasn't completely sure that it wasn't real) and jumped up onto a table.

"We demand that you stop the homework, now!" Mika smiled at the knowledge that cats were running rampage behind her. She would never willing admit it but her line wasn't the worst. It was still horrifyingly cringe worthy and defiantly sounded planned but it was amusing to see the twinkle in Dumbledore's eye and watch as McGonagall slowly got more and more angry. Mika, Jamie and Sirius got a huge lecture from McGonagall once she finally blew, but Mika didn't mind. Kneazels were found running around Hogwarts for the next month and honestly, Mika did have quite a lot of fun. She just had to make her brother and Sirius promise to never write a script again.

* * *

It had been a month since Remus had been confronted about his werewolf status. Another full moon was rising and Mika was on a mission. The boys figuring out his secret had compelled her to get a move on. She had put becoming an animagus off for a year, telling herself that she should focus on her studies instead of attempting an illegal process. She was now in second year and the only progress that she had made with the transformation was repetitively re-reading the same books that were already engraved in her memory. So a week earlier, in potions class she had 'borrowed' a mandrake leaf from Professor Slughorn's store. The first step was to hold the leaf in her mouth for a whole month, full moon to full moon. She faced the window that she was sitting by; looking in the direction that she knew Remus was in. She was perched on the window in the boy's dorm. The three boys were discussing the transformation that Remus was going through, ignoring their most feminine member. She was in her night clothes, holding a mandrake leaf in her hand tightly. Mika watched as the moon emerged from the clouds, taking a deep breath before placing the leaf in her mouth. She immediately gagged at the fowl taste, almost spitting it out.

"Mika, are you ok?" Her brother was coming over, voice full of concern at her movements. She whispered the sticking spell whilst nodding at him, hoping that her spell worked first time. He sat by her, rubbing soothing circles on her back as the other two watched her carefully. After a minute, Mika adjusted to the taste. It was still absolutely dreadful but it wasn't unexpected.

"Sorry. I swallowed a fly." Sirius burst into sniggers at her excuse, finding the fact that she choked on a fly hilarious. She grabbed a shoe off the floor and threw it at the boy. She then excused herself to brush her teeth, claiming that fly's didn't taste great which earned her another round of snickers from the Black heir as she marched out of the room. It really did taste disgusting.

* * *

Mika was chatting to Alice about Herbology. Well, it was more Alice was chatting to Mika about Herbology. Alice was excitedly telling Mika about all of the properties of a plant that was going extinct and Mika was trying to listen. She really was. It was just difficult to understand something you… dislike so strongly. So Mika was nodding along to Alice's statements as they walked, occasionally humming in agreement. The two of them climbed through the portrait hole and Mika started to internally plan what homework's she would do and when. Her mind had wandered so far from Alice and the plant that oozed when you looked at it the wrong way that she almost missed the next statement.

"What's wrong with your brother?" Mika's eyes widened in fear at that question, she scanned the room in search of his black mop of hair. She quickly spied him on one of the sofas, holding his cheek with a strange expression on his face. Sirius and Remus were sat on either side of him, looking at him with concern. Pettigrew was perched on the end of another sofa, also looking concerned at the expression on his face. Mika hurried over, Alice following behind her friend as she made her way across the common room. Mika reached her twin, kneeling down to eye level to try to find what was wrong.

"Jamie, are you ok?" Her voice came out panicked as she tried to find out what had happened. Now that she was closer to him she could see a bright red mark on the cheek that he was holding. His eyes slowly moved from wherever he was looking off to in space to her face. She watched as the strange expression morphed into a goofy grin that was plastered on his face.

"She hit me."

"What!" Mika felt rage pulse through her. _How dare someone hit him!_ She harshly grabbed his hand away from his bruised cheek, now observing that the red mark was in the shape of a handprint. "Who hit you?"

"My future wife," A dreamy expression drifted onto his face as he raised his hand back up and touched the red mark absentmindedly. Mika looked at Remus and Sirius bewildered. She gave them an expression that could only be described as 'what the hell is going on?'

"He pranked Evans who got really mad and started yelling at him." Mika turned her full attention at Sirius who, like always, seemed to find the situation that they were in amusing. "After a while he started staring at her all… dreamily? Anyway, she got even angrier and slapped him before storming off."

"And now he's claiming that she's his future wife," Remus sounded exasperated at the turn of events. Much like Mika he realised how stupid it was for James to like Lily, the person who hated him more than anyone else, except maybe Snape.

"James," Mika started off slowly, as though trying to convince a frightened animal that it wasn't going to be harmed, "You know that violence isn't an attractive quality, right?" Her twin looked at her in horror, as though she was the crazy one, "And even if it was I don't think pursuing Lily will do anyone any good." Mika watched as his eyes brightened at Lily's name and he lost focus half way through the sentence. She let out an annoyed huff at the turn of events. She knew logically that James and Lily would end up together. It was one of the few events that were set in stone in her mind. Voldemort was bad, Peter was a traitor, and James loved Lily. But god, Mika hoped that they would fall for each other when Lily was… bearable.

"I don't think you're going to get any more out of him." Mika nodded in agreement. Her brother was in a world that was entirely his own and didn't care what she had to say. She stood up and exchanged a glance with Alice. She instructed the boys to look after him and make sure that he didn't do anything rash before dragging Alice away. Once they were in a quiet corner Mika turned to her favourite female friend.

"So how are we going to get back at Lily for hitting my brother?" Mika almost felt bad for Lily when Alice grinned evilly at her, devious plans swirling around her mind. Almost.

* * *

Mika and Alice had been proud of their prank on Lily. The end result was her missing three classes, losing all of her uniform and smelling horrendous for days. She, of course, told on Mika and Alice who both got a week's worth of detention with Filch. The two of them were on their last detention, they had been told to clean all of the statues in school and they had done the majority of them. Alice was washing the top of one of the statues and Mika was washing its feet. The two of them were chatting idly about how strange the school rules were; no staying up past curfew unless in detention. They both agreed that it was a dumb rule and Mika was about to comment on who came up with it when something caught her eye. A word was hidden in the hem of the statue's skirt, so faint that it could hardly be read. Mika leant forwards, trying to read it whilst putting herself in a very awkward position.

"Um, Mika, what are you doing?" Mika shushed her as she leant closer. Alice continued Mika to try to get out from under the statue whilst Mika continued to shush her. Alice leant against the statue in defeat, waving at two concerned third years as they walked past. What a sight they must look; Alice covered in dirt from all the cleaning and her friend crawling into the one-eyed witch's skirt.

"I think it says something." Mika tried to get her eyes to focus on the miniscule writing whilst cursing the lack of light.

"That's great now get out and help me clean." Mika ignored Alice and continued trying to read it.

"Dis- Dissend- Dissendium," Mika let out a squeak of fear as the statue moved slightly at her words, dragging her along with it. Once the movement had stopped she quickly shuffled out from under the heavy statue that could crush her if it collapsed. She looked at Alice who looked as shaken as she felt before analysing the movement.

"Wicked," She breathed as the saw the person size gap that had appeared behind the statue. "Alice, I think we've found a secret passage way." Mika felt Alice look over her shoulder, examining the dark hole in front of them. Mika took a step forwards, ready to explore when Alice grabbed her hand.

"We shouldn't go down there Mika. We have to finish detention and it could be dangerous." Mika rolled her eyes at her timid friend. She now clearly remembered this passage from the third book, it was said to lead to Hogsmeade. Mika looked at Alice over her shoulder and gave her the most mischievous grin that she could muster.

"That's part of the fun," And then Mika jumped. The fall was shorter than Mika expected, causing her to land awkwardly on her leg and fall onto her side. She grunted on impact, a wave of pain shooting from her side before dissipating. Mika rolled onto her back, looking up into the opening of the passage which was the only light source. She shouted up to Alice to confirm that she was fine and didn't die on impact. Alice responded that she would be down in a minute. Mika knew that her housemate was trying to get the courage to jump and decided to leave her alone for a while. She pulled herself to her feet, using the slither of light to map out the passage. It was a basic tunnel, made out of mud and the ceiling was only a foot above Mika's head. It was wide enough for two people to walk side by side but no more than that. The whole tunnel seemed to slope downwards steeply but Mika didn't know for how long as she could only see a bit of it. She spun around when she heard a thump and groan behind her. Alice had obviously jumped and was now lying on the floor.

"I thought that it was a longer fall than that."

"So did I," Mika offered her a hand and helped Alice to her feet. Once she was up, the little light that had illuminated the passage way disappeared.

"Where did the light go?" there was an edge of panic in Alice's voice as the two of them were plunged into darkness.

"I think that the entrance just shut." Mika heard Alice give a small whimper at that, so she felt out in the darkness until she reached her friend. Mika then grabbed Alice's hand comfortingly. "It'll be fine. Look, lumos," a ball of light appeared at the end of Mika's wand, lighting up the section of passage that they were in. After allowing their eyes time to readjust, Mika began to head down the tunnel, pulling Alice along with her. The two of them walked for what seemed like ages, as neither of them had a watch on they couldn't tell how long a walk it really was. Also, the tunnel was irritating Mika, making the journey seem longer. It was never a straight line always having to turn a corner or get thinner or wider or to go up or down hill. It was never an easy walk. That was why, both Mika and Alice were grateful when the tunnel finally came to a close. There was a rickety ladder that looked very old and unstable at the end, leading to a trap door. The two Gryffindors exchanged glances before Mika stepped forwards. She carefully climbed up the ladder, testing each step before putting her full weight on it. When she reached the top she gently pushed the trap door open, once she saw that nobody was in the room she opened it fully and stepped out. The room she found herself in was a form of storage room. Crates and boxes lined the walls, all neatly labelled but hastily placed. There was a shelf with jars on in one corner and a staircase in another. There weren't any windows so Mika assumed that she was in a basement. She then quietly called down the trapdoor, telling Alice that it was safe. Alice clambered out quickly, having been abandoned in darkness when Mika left with the only light.

"I was hoping that this place would have a light," She crumbled, clearly annoyed that the cellar that they had found themselves in was just as dark as the tunnel. Mika laughed quietly at Alice's statement, allowing her friend to examine the room before she moved again. Once Alice seemed happy, Mika grabbed her hand once more and pulled her in the direction of the stairs. The two of them crept up them, silently thankful that none of the steps creaked. The pair of them reached a door at the top, looking much more modern and sturdy than anything in the tunnel did. Mika reached out, slowly turning the handle and pushed it open, revealing a shop floor to the two girls. They looked on in awe; shelves from floor to ceiling were bursting with candies. Stacks of chocolate were displayed to one side. Sweets of every colour and apparently flavour were advertised all over the shop, some promising to help you focus while others claiming that you'd levitate whilst chewing on it. Mika though the shop was amazing but unfortunately it was obviously closed. The lights were all turned off, doors closed, all products neatly ordered in a way that wouldn't be possible if customers were around, which made sense because the two of them were alone. Suddenly, the two of them heard footsteps from above, coming closer.

"I'm telling you, it's just a cat," a voice called, probably to his significant other. "The intruder alarm is faulty like that." Alice froze as Mika shut the door as quietly as possible before grabbing her friend and yanking her back to the trap door. She shoved Alice down, before leaning over the hole as well, her feet quickly found a step to rest on when the light switched on. Mika grabbed the trap door and pulled it down, just as she saw feet appearing at the top of the stairs. She jumped off the ladder, knowing that it wasn't a bad fall and landed on her feet gracefully.

"Run." The whispered command was all that Alice needed to sprint ahead, powering up the steep tunnel and Mika jogged behind her. The adrenaline running through Mika's veins didn't help with her lack of running ability. She was still slower than her friend and had to call for Alice to slow do now that they weren't likely to get caught. The walk back to the castle was filled with excited chatter about how cool the shop was and how they could now visit Hogsmeade like third years. Their happiness was cut short when they emerged from the tunnel, instantly running into an enraged Filch who demanded that they do two more nights of detention for abandoning their post and not finishing the statue. Later on, both girls agreed that the detentions were totally worth it.

* * *

It had been a month since Mika had put the mandrake leaf in her mouth and she could finally take it out. The whole month that it had been in her mouth, the taste hadn't improved. She got used to it but it still didn't actually get better at any point. That forced her to turn to breath freshening spells every hour to remove the smell from her breath and she had gotten through a lot of gum in the past month. Now, she was ready for the next step. She'd collected a silver teaspoon of dew from the forbidden forest a few days ago, adding it to a crystal phial. She had to steal the chrysalis of a death's-head hawk moth from Slughorn's stores, and Mika found it very strange that he had the chrysalis just lying around but decided not to question her potion teacher and his strange ways. She yanked out a few of her hairs, adding them to the phial before adding her leaf and placing it on the side. She decided to complete the process in the astronomy tower, the best place for her phial to pick up light rays and it would be closest to the electrical storm that would eventually come. She cast the spell that would need to be performed at every dawn and dusk until the next storm.

"Amato Animo Animato Animagus" she mumbled, feeling stupid saying the strange worlds. She then made sure that her phial was hidden and couldn't be spotted unless you were looking for it and left the tower, a skip in her step for the fact that she was one step closer to helping Remus. Also her mouth no longer tasted like mandrake leaf which was a definite step up.

* * *

Mika and Jamie had decided to stay at Hogwarts for the winter holidays. Their parents had been against it however they wanted to stay with Remus, who had a full moon and couldn't go home, and Sirius who wouldn't go home anyway. It was also the added bonus to Mika that she could continue with her Animagus potion without her parents discovering her plan to become an Animagus. She was wondering around the castle just after dusk, after completing her daily spell. Since it was winter it wasn't that late she still had a few hours till curfew and had decided to go exploring. This meant that she was walking down hallways with her hand on a wall, trying to find a hidden passage way that was blending in. Mika had been searching for a bit over an hour when a voice from behind her appeared.

"Are you looking for nargles?" Mika turned around in shock at the noise. Standing directly behind her, was Luna Lovegood. Well, not Luna Lovegood but the person that Mika though Luna Lovegood to look like. She had dirty blond hair that fell to her waist in soft waves. She had big piercing silver eyes that seemed to look into your soul and pale skin that seemed to make her look like a ghost. Her features were gentle, soft jaw and cheekbones. Her full lips were in a dreamy smile and her nose was scattered with a few freckles. Mika stood, wordless staring at the young girl.

"It's nice to meet to Lila, or are you going by Mika now." Mika's heart plummeted at her old name, a gasp of shock escaping her.

"What- h-how do you- I'm not…"

"Oh I won't tell anyone. The nargles said to keep it a secret." Mika nodded dumbly, watching the dreamy witch warily. "I'm Pandora, although Luna really is a lovely name isn't it." Mika watched as the girl held her hand out for her to shake but her limbs refused to move. Pandora didn't seem to mind, and grabbed her hand that was handing limply at her side and shook it vigorously. Mika then observed as the girl spun on her toes, and floated away into the distance. _What the hell just happened? She just- what?_ This girl had just come along, proceeded to read Mika's mind or something equally as wacky and complemented her unborn daughter's name. Mika shook her head and slowly walked back to her common room. _I think that's enough for today. Who knows, maybe tomorrow will hold less insanity._

* * *

Mika was in the middle of potions class when the electrical storm appeared. She didn't realise it to begin with as she was happily chatting to Alice down in the dungeons, stirring a green potion. When she did realise the storm going on outside, her mind instantly flashed to her potion, knowing that she would have to get to it soon or it wouldn't work. Thinking fast she threw her hand in her air to try and get out of class.

"Professor Slughorn sir, May I please go to the hospital wing as I'm not feeling that well." The balding professor looked her up and down. Although he wasn't the brightest teacher he still understood when students were trying to skive of lessons.

"What seems to be the matter? You look alright to me," He then proceeded to laugh joyously whilst Mika internally panicked.

"Um- it's – um girl issues." Mika felt her face flush at her excuse, watching as her teachers face paled dramatically and she noticed out of the corner of her eye that her brother seemed quite unhappy to hear that as well.

"Um- y-yes of course," Mika nodded at Slughorn's dismissal, quickly grabbing her things before practically running out of the classroom. Her run turned into a fast pace walk as she left the dungeons. She was on the complete wrong side of the school for this to happen. Mika was worried that she was going to miss it. When the first lightning strike hit, Mika began to run again. She ran as fast as she could, ignoring how her lungs were screaming at her to stop and how her legs didn't want to move. After about ten minutes of running, she finally reached the thankfully empty astronomy tower. She grabbed her crystal phial and saw that the liquid in there was now blood red, indicating that the final stage was ready. She performed the spell a final time before taking the phial to the only place that she knew would be safe. The astronomy tower was thankfully very close to the seventh floor corridor that Mika believed the room of requirements was hidden on. She had never been in there before as she never had a reason to use the room until now. She paced a blank space of wall three times, thinking about a place that she could complete her transformation. A beautiful door appeared, engraved with hundreds of creatures and plants. Mika could only spare a second to admire the door before having to open it and enter the room that she'd asked for. It was a circular room that had a pile of cushions and blankets of the floor. It was obviously made for her comfort, probably for when she hallucinated about her animal form. She whispered a thank you, feeling stupid at talking to an empty room but pushed it aside for the time. She uncapped the potion, feeling apprehensive about drinking it. She had read that you were supposed to expect some pain but had a feeling that the books were trying to make it seem better than it really was. Mika sat down on the pile of pillows and took a deep breath before downing the potion in one. She stood still for a few seconds, tense and waiting for the pain to hit. _Is that it? I don't feel any-_ A scream was ripped from Mika's lips as agony struck her. The pain was so intense. She had never felt anything so bad before in her life. She was distantly aware that she was now lying down on the pile of pillows and was screaming at the top of her voice, but she could only think about the fiery pain that ripped through her very being. She could feel her own heart beating out of her chest but could also feel a second heartbeat beating just as quickly. Suddenly, Mika was torn from her body and shoved into another one.

The wind whistled through the air, carrying her prey's scent. Distantly, the sound of rustling leaves reaches her, as she looked around curiously. She was creeping along the woodland floor, sticks were cutting into her paws and bushes scraped across her fur. She sniffed the air once, twice more before facing a seemingly random direction and prowling that way. Then she stopped, her sharp eyesight had focused on a lone deer drinking from a stream in a clearing. She stalked forwards, making no noise as she padded across the forest floor. The deer looked up for a second, ears perked up in case of danger before going back to drinking. She continued to advance on the deer; it only seemed to notice her presence when she was within striking distance. And striking distance she was, it turned around as she leapt, claws out and mouth wide open. She watched the deer's eye widen as her mouth latched around its throat, quickly removing any life or struggle from its body. She tucked into its meal, relieved to have something to show for her hard day of hunting. As she was about to tuck in, Mika was yanked out of the animal and thrown back into her human form. She was breathing heavily but the pain had gone, leaving her throbbing from its after effects but at least she was no longer in agony. A small smile climbed onto Mika's face as she realised that she'd done it. She'd finished the potion and it worked! Now all that she needed to do was find out what animal she was, examine the animal in excruciating detail, and turn into said animal. How hard could that be?

* * *

Mika groaned as she placed her head on the table. She was sitting in the library with her brother, Remus, Sirius, Pettigrew and Alice. They were all trying to fill out the forms to decide what they wanted to do next year. Everyone had to take Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, History of Magic, Defence against the Dark Arts, Astronomy and Herbology. Then you could choose two or three electives out of Divination, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures or Muggle studies. Remus had already completed his; he had apparently been planning what he wanted to do all year and had decided to take Arithmancy, Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures. Everyone else was stuck on what they wanted to do. Mika was tapping her quill on the table, reading the options again. Alice was fiddling with her hair and doing the same thing. Jamie and Sirius on the other hand, were getting bored and started to throw quills at each other. Pettigrew watched the two idiots while Remus sighed at them and pulled out a book to read. After a while Sirius gave up, caught the quill that Jamie had just thrown at him and wrote down three random ones. He got Ancient Runes, Muggle studies and Care of Magical Creatures. Her brother followed his lead and wrote down three random ones, choosing Divination, Care of Magical creatures and Arithmancy. Peter wrote down Divination, Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies, apparently deciding that they were the easiest. Alice settled for Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy and Divination and Mika finally decided to take Ancient Runes, Arithmancy and Care of Magical creatures, the same as Remus. Mika sighed as her brother and Sirius went back to throwing things at each other. Apparently choosing their options didn't meant that they were growing up. _Well, maybe next year they'll be mature._ Mika shrugged at the thought before pulling out a book, making the most of being at the library by reading.

* * *

Mika sat down next to Sirius who was throwing stones into the lake moodily. Jamie had asked her to find the Black heir as the train home was leaving in a few hours. Sirius hadn't started packing yet so Mika had been sent to get him and make him pack. Although her twin was oblivious to the fact that there was a reason why he wasn't packing in the first place, Mika wasn't. That was why she found herself looking for Sirius by the black lake, knowing that it was his favourite place to blow off steam ever since his first argument with Regulus earlier in the year. Mika wasn't there for the argument between the siblings but was there for the aftermath. Sirius was in an unpleasant mood for the following week and his pranks had turned more frequent and vicious as a reflection on his mood. So she wandered out into the Hogwarts grounds, spotting her friend quickly and quietly taking a seat next to him. Mika remained quiet as Sirius threw rocks into the clear water; she was waiting for him to break the silence. The two of them stayed there, Sirius throwing rocks to release his anger and when he ran out Mika would silently hand him some more. Eventually he just threw the remainder of his rocks into the lake, and placed his head in his hands. Mika edged closer to him and wrapped an arm around him in response to his distress. She ignored the way that he was shaking slightly, not knowing if it was from tears or something else.

"I don't want to go," Mika nodded sympathetically, as he gathered his thoughts. "This is my home." Mika squeezed him slightly in support, letting him know she was there for him. Sirius then pulled his head out of his arms and fiercely wiped his eyes, removing any traces of sadness. He seemed to suddenly realise who he was talking to and decided to stop. "I suppose James wants me to pack, right?" Mika nodded sadly, knowing that the wide grin on his face was false and that lingering sadness was still present in his eyes. He stood up abruptly and Mika stood with him. He began chatting to her about next year as he walked back to the castle quickly. Mika grabbed his hand and squeezed it briefly before letting it go. He was too proud to ask for help and he wasn't going to talk about what was going on, but she wanted him to know that she was there. He seemed to realise the gesture for what it was, giving her a tired smile before continuing his mindless babble like nothing had happened. Mika let him do it. She pretended that everything was fine, but on the train ride home she could see how apprehensive he was. She noted how much quieter he was than usual and how subdued he acted. And when she wished him a good summer, she gave him the biggest hug she could and invited him to stay whenever he wanted, hoping that he would take her words seriously and would come to the manor. She smiled sadly as she watched him walk away, wishing that he would have a much better summer than expected, but deep down she knew that it was only that, a wish.

 **That's the end of the second year. Third year is up next and then I'll start writing more than one chapter per year. Thanks for reading.**

 **Jojotank: Hi, thank you for your review, I really enjoyed reading it. I always loved the time travel stories or twin stories as well which is why I decided to write my own. Sorry about the spelling mistakes, my spelling isn't great to begin with and spell check can only carry me so far.**

 **Micky-Moo: Thank you, I'm glad you like it.**

 **Paulaa90: Hi again, I agree with the Lily thing, I really like Lily's character normally but have decided to enhance some of her more unpleasant qualities for this fiction. That means that Mika and Lily probably won't see eye to eye for a while. For the Halloween prank, they all turned into ducks as well and while McGonagall suspected it was them she couldn't punish them without evidence. I liked the idea of Mika going against her brother with bullying, even if she's not telling him directly she's trying to help Severus without causing conflict for herself. I think in later chapters I may include more Severus. Thank you for reviewing.**

 **Horsebell: Thanks, I enjoyed writing that scene between the two of them; I'm hoping to develop Severus's character more in later chapters.**


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